Would You Rather
by Gadien Elf
Summary: Sequel to Have You Ever... The Vaughn's continue to struggle with the past, present, and future as life, once again, throws them a curve ball. Rated T-M. *Chapter 10 up!*
1. Chapter 1: My First Family Vacation

**Would You Rather…**

Sequel to: Have You Ever… You may want to read that before you read this, or you will be lost. Completely. This is pretty AU, but I promise that there will be spy elements, so it shall remain in the regular S/V NC-17 Forum.

Rating: G – NC-17. Not with the same people of course. Gross.

Disclaimer: Thoughts and story-lines are mine, as well as any and all characters you don't recognize from the TV show.

Chapter 1: My First Family Vacation

"Ooh, Daddy, what's that?" Danny asked with his face smushed against the window of the rental Cherokee.

Michael laughed, looking back and seeing his son straining against the seatbelt to get a better look out to the powdered white city of Paris. "That's the Eiffel Tower."

"What's it do?"

"Umm, it's just really cool to look at. It's the symbol of France." Vaughn smiled, reaching over and setting his hand down Sydney's arm as she slept against the armrest. Taking care of the twins on the way over didn't afford her any time to sleep on the plane, so she'd begun to make up for it during the drive from the airport to his family's ranch house in Normandy.

"Why?"

"Because it's so big and it's been around so long that people just think of France when they hear about it," he explained, settling in for a long car ride. His son was really into the long 'why' conversations; about anything and everything, his question to obtain more knowledge would always be, "Why?"

"What's Eiffel mean, Daddy?"

"It really doesn't mean anything; it was named after the guy who built it," Vaughn answered.

"Why?" Danny persisted.

"Because he…ummm…built it."

"Why come did he build it?"

Michael sighed with a smile, looking in the mirror to see his two sleeping babies and a very attentive Danny in the back seat. "Well, this guy named Eiffel won a…game, when the…king of France said he wanted something cool to look at. So they built this Tower."

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, pal?"

"Why do dogs have wet noses?" he asked innocently, Vaughn laughing at the sudden change of subject.

"Ummm…I don't know, Dans," Vaughn answered honestly.

"Why not?"

After thinking a brief moment, "Because I'm not a dog."

Danny accepted the answer, turning to look back out the window as more scenery flew by, and the cities and buildings got farther and farther away. The wide open farmland of France was revealing itself, and butterflies flew in Michael's stomach.

It wasn't as if he was nervous of introducing his family to…well, his family - it was the knowledge that Sydney was so uptight about everything. His father's family would be there too, since it was a wedding after all, and Sydney wasn't entirely confident that she'd put her mother's past into her past.

She'd nearly panicked when he's told her about his cousin's wedding and everyone that would be there as he read the invitation aloud.

_"Why don't you go, and I'll stay here with the boys?" she'd offered, Michael dropping his hands to the desk, the invitation still clutched in his fingers, giving her a wry look before picking it back up and continuing to read._

"Sofia Lydia Vaughn and Jeremy Thomas Townsend request your presence at their ceremony on January 14th, 2006."

"Michael, seriously. You should go. Besides, I don't think Matty should get on a plane with the problems he's been having," she tried once more, slightly annoyed that her husband was more than content to ignore her and continue reading.

"Sofia Lydia Vaughn, daughter to Tom and Cathleen Vaughn, also invite you and yours to the Reception to celebrate her engagement to Jeremy Thomas Townsend on January 10th, 2006, at the Ranch House; 4:00 PM – dinner will be served."

She sighed, adjusting her bra back into place as the satisfied little blond boy gurgled with a smile. She couldn't help but lean over after pulling her shirt back down, rubbing his little nose with her own as his smile turned into an open-mouthed, toothless beam.

"You're not listening…" she grumbled, switching Will from her chest to her shoulder, patting his back lightly as he let out a fairly large burp for one so tiny.

"We're all going. My whole family's gonna be there, and I want to introduce everyone. You, Danny, the twins; everyone. We're going." Michael stated, grabbing a pen and beginning to fill out the R.S.V.P.

"Michael,"

"Yes sweetie?" he asked, looking up and finally giving her his full attention.

"I don't want to be known as the daughter of the woman who killed Bill Vaughn." She mumbled, looking away from his sympathetic eyes, standing, and walking silently up the stairs to the twin's room.

He sighed, setting down the pen and leaning back in his chair, hands crossed over his chest. His eyes automatically followed the movement from the backyard where Eric and Danny were in the middle of a snowball fight, the fence between the houses serving as the border between the sides of good and evil – at least…that was how Danny had explained it.

A small smile curved his lips as he watched his son jump out from behind the fort that Michael had built for him, firing away little snowballs at his uncle. Vaughn stood, making his way up after his wife.

He leaned against the door, watching her lay Will in next to his brother, nap time commencing for both little boys. They'd been a bit off on their sleeping patterns for the last week, nearly wearing Sydney out. Danny would go down for a nap right after lunch, and the twins before and during, but lately Danny's nap time came a bit later, around 3:00 o'clock, and the twins had decided that they were going to nap at opposite times.

If one was asleep, the other was undoubtedly awake and ready to be paid attention to.

"Sydney, I don't want to make you uncomfortable, of course," he paused, seeing her turn after placing a blanket over the babies and placing matching pacifiers into their mouths.

He waited until she was close enough before pulling her into his arms, her head automatically going to his shoulder.

"I really don't want to segregate our families. I love you all, you know that. As far as your mother is concerned, she paid me in full by saving your life…not to mention the lives of my children. Besides, it'll be fun. Our first little mini-vacation," he grinned, trying to bait her as she sighed into his chest.

"There's no talking you out of it?"

"Nope. We're goin'."

Looking over at her beautiful, relaxed features as she slept, his hand rubbed soothing circles over her hand, he drove on. Surprisingly, his son was keeping his questions at bay, but when Vaughn looked into the back of the large car - seeing the twins sleeping soundly - Denver's legs stretched into the air from the far back couch-like seats, Danny was resting with his forehead against the window fast asleep.

He smiled, continuing the drive until the Vaughn's family house. The winding dirt road lead up to the elegantly landscaped driveway forming circle, a fountain sitting in the center.

"Wow. Aunt Trish dropped a lot of cash into this," he mumbled, his eyes scanning the scenery and not noticing said aunt walking up behind the car and tapping with a long, purple fingernail on the window.

Vaughn jumped away from the window, his elbow smacking Sydney's as she bolted awake, her hand swinging up and catching Michael's cheek and ear.

"What? What happened?" She asked, adjusting to her surroundings as Michael laughed an apology with a hand patting her knee and hitting the button to roll down the window.

"Bonjour, bonbon!" [Hello, sweetie]

"Bonjour, auntie Trish."

"Do come now, get out of that vehicle and let Bernardo park it around the side. Do hurry, I cannot wait to meet those little offspring."

And, almost as quickly as she'd appeared, she was gone. "So that was her?" Sydney asked, earning a questioning frown from her husband. "Crazy Aunt Trish?"

Michael laughed, jumping at another knock on the window as Bernardo bowed in apology before opening the door for the young man. Sydney collected her wits, pushing aside the growing ball of…something in her stomach that was clogging her throat. It wasn't until Vaughn moved to her side to collect the twins and release the groggy dog that he noticed her standing and staring at the elegant home.

Her dress pants accentuated her hips, thighs and backside, tapering down to a flare, the white dress shirt looking slightly wrinkled from their long flight and drive. Per usual, her little 'ticks' of nervousness were giving her away. Her hands laced back and forth, fingers immediately twisting her wedding and engagement rings on her finger.

"Baby, everything will go fine. Hell – you and I have faced worse things than this, right? Firing squads, torture, your father…"

"Yeah, I guess, but it doesn't compare to the gauntlet of questions I'll have to field from every member of the Vaughn family. This is a new kind of torture…a new kind of firing squad,"

"Nah, it'll be easy. You'll see," he reassured her, turning and un-strapping the seat belt from behind the twins' large joint carrier.

"Yeah…well – I hope so."

A/N: Holy crap I'm back. That's right ladies and gents, Jean has returned to the HYE universe! Though I don't think I really left it. Be prepared for a docile first few chapters, but some serious plot twists that will be thrown at you. Guaranteed. I know this chappie was short, but I want to save the big stuff for later in the story. Dun worry, they'll get longer. 'Jean-long' if you will.


	2. Chapter 2: Whirlwind

**Chapter 2: Whirlwind**

The next five minutes were a complete blur to the two adults. The moment they stepped into the foyer they were swarmed by an entourage of women who were cooing, fawning and kissing - and not just the children; Michael and Sydney had red and purple lipstick splotches on their foreheads and cheeks as well.

As soon as it happened, the now wide-awake twins and a semi-reluctant Danny were lead away, the abandoned parents finding themselves alone with the luggage in the middle of the entryway.

"I think we just lost our children," she whispered as Vaughn laughed, merely reaching over and using his thumb to wipe a smear of bright purple off of her cheekbone. Their eyes met as she did the same from his forehead, Michael leaning forward to press their lips together.

"Would you like me to give you a moment or can I also give my son and daughter a kiss and a hug?" Amelie asked quietly from the large Victorian staircase looking down on the quiet couple.

They pulled apart slowly flashing matching dimpled smiles over to Michael's mother as she joined them, pulling them close separately before grabbing a suitcase and leading them to their room.

"I'm so sorry that I couldn't be with you in Denver to see the twins sooner, but things here have been so crazy. What with the wedding and everything," she explained.

"Maman, it's perfectly fine. We were more than happy to come. It's like our first vacation." Michael set the bags onto the bed, Matty's wailing floating up the steps. "Medicine's in the smaller duffel bag, sweetie,"

"That and he's probably hungry. They all should be," she lifted up her wrist, pushing back her cuff to take a close look at her watch. "I mean…it's like dinner time in Denver. Ooh, speaking of Denver, do we know where the dog went?"

"I'll round him up."

They went two separate ways, Sydney and Amelie joining the gaggle of women trying to coerce the dark haired baby into silence, his bright red face showing his disdain for being apart from his familiar parents.

"Sydney, I think he'd rather be with you," a face, nameless to Sydney, handed over the unhappy infant.

"Ooh, baby, shh," she crooned, the little body squirming until he found his spot over her chest and under her chin. "I'll be back after I feed him, and then he's yours."

Walking slowly, taking her time in examining the large sitting room, she meandered over to an ornate maroon couch before flopping into the seats, hearing a muffled 'oof' from underneath.

"Don't skish me momma, I'm hiding."

"Danny?" she asked with a surprised smile, not looking down as she heard the women from the other room speaking in soft tones to the remaining child in their midst.

"Where is that little Daniel?"

"I thought he was right here,"

"Daniel?"

Sydney nodded knowingly, tossing the women a shrug as she began to unbutton her top. "Don't worry Danny boy, your secret's safe with me."

"Fanks momma," he mumbled from underneath the fainting couch as she reached into the side pocket of the diaper bag, extracting a small car and dropping it to the floor next to her foot.

His small hand snuck out, grabbing the vehicle before retreating under the couch as Michael stepped into the room with a smile. He knelt in front of Sydney and Matty, his finger tracing the suckling little boy's cheek as she smiled down at him.

"His ear looks pretty red inside," he commented, as his son looked up at him with big blue eyes, his hand swinging out and colliding gently with Vaughn's cheek, almost mimicking his father's initial movement.

The parent laughed quietly, Michael leaning in to press a soft kiss to Matty's forehead before moving forward to set a wet kiss to the side of her breast, his smoking green eyes looking up to the surprised look on her face.

"Don't you dare start anything, Michael Vaughn," she warned with a smirk and a wink, Michael pulling back and looking around.

"Let me guess. Danny's underneath this couch right here."

The boy's small voice rose from beneath them. "Did you peek, Dado?"

"No way, Dano, I never peek." Flopping down onto his stomach, he stuck his head between the sofa and the floor. "I used to hide here all the time. This is the same spot I used to hide when I was a kid. Those women in there can kiss you crazy."

Danny giggled. "You wanna come in with me daddy? We can play in here!"

"I don't really fit under here any more, but I'll tell you what. Denver needs to stretch his legs and there's a ginormous backyard you've gotta see."

"Sounds fun daddy," he crawled out, jumping onto Michael's back as they stood up and made their way through the dining room as several of the women reached for the little boy.

"Oh no, we're going to play in the back yard. You've got one of my children, Nana Trudy, you have to wait until Sydney's finished before you can have another." Michael evaded them, the older women grumbling as Danny 'hoorayed' his father, making a break out the back door.

"So after he put the baseball through the picture window, with us sitting in the room none the less, Michael pointed at Bill and yelled, 'daddy did it!'" The group laughed as Sydney pushed down her regret and guilt to force a chuckle. Will had fallen asleep against Amelie's shoulder, the grandmother unable to put him down for his nap.

For a half hour, the older women of the Vaughn family had deemed it necessary to tell stories – some embarrassing and some not – about Michael's past. She'd been stuck with Matty dozing on a pillow across her lap, one leg folded over the other, sneaking peeks out the large kitchen nook's window. Michael and Danny were frolicking about in the snow catching flakes as Denver plodded next to them, and she longed to escape the family's stories about the man her mother had killed.

She'd lied to herself by saying she'd come to terms with it. Forgiveness was something she'd always been willing to hand out like candy, but unwilling to take the last piece.

'I guess I _am _a lot like my dad,'

"Sydney? Sydney, you're miles away, love. Are you feeling well?" A concerned voice brought her out of her reminiscent thoughts as she broke her stare to find the group staring at her.

"I'm sorry, I guess I was. I'm still a little jet lagged I guess. What were you saying?"

"I was just wondering how you met our Michel. He never really talked too much about his love life, but I don't know why that boy would keep you a secret."

'Leave it to Aunt Trish to drudge up our past,' Sydney thought to herself, remembering Michael's words about his aunt being the crazy one in the family.

"Well, it's a long involved story, but the short version is that we met at work."

"Oh, you met at the agency. Were you his secretary? Because that would be a naughty relationship indeed. Quite frowned upon, I'll bet."

'Oh, Gladys, you have _no _idea,' Sydney mused.

However, she was saved from explaining by Michael and Danny opening the back door.

"Ah-ah, you two kick off your shoes. I don't need mud and snow all over these clean floors," Trish chided, both boys dutifully removing their dirty shoes as they entered the kitchen.

Nana Trudy turned in her chair, watching as Michael lifted Danny up to the sink in order for the little boy to wash off his hands, "Michael? We were just asking Sydney how you two met. Why on earth didn't you tell us about this one?"

'Turnabout's fair play, isn't it darling?' Sending her husband a grin and seeing the back of his neck turn a soft shade of red, he turned and fixed his family with a wry look.

"Have you been badgering my wife this entire time?"

"Of course not! We've been telling her incriminating stories about your life." His mother smirked, patting Will's back as he stretched in his sleep, his tiny arms and legs peeking out from underneath the blanket before heaving a sigh and cuddling back up against his grandmother.

Vaughn groaned, setting Danny down and letting the boy escape. Resigned to his fate, he grabbed a chair and pulled it up beside a smiling Sydney. Reaching a hand out and setting it against Matty's stomach, he left it there while looking up at his expectant relatives.

"What?"

"Come now, we haven't heard a _thing _about this woman since your mother informed us that you'd gotten married and were expecting!"

"Trudy, we met at work. That attraction thing happened, and here we are."

"But how did you meet?"

The couple sighed, deciding that explaining this story once and for all was the best solution.

"I was a double agent with the CIA, and Vaughn was the operative that was assigned to my case. Long story short, the bad guys lost, we got together, we quit, we had babies, and here we are."

"You were a spy, Michel?" Trish scolded. "You told us that you were just working at a desk!"

"Well, I didn't want you to worry about me. Most of my job _was _at a desk," 'If you don't count all those times I was in the field' he mused as an afterthought.

"That must have been a very exciting life!"

"Sometimes, sure. But…it's not as glamorous as James Bond makes it look." Sydney laughed as she threaded her fingers through Vaughn's over their son's stomach, the little boy yawning and wiggling for a moment before settling back into dreamland.

After an hour or so of playing Q&A with the women, the front door opened and in trudged several older gentlemen with snow falling from their jackets. After another bout of chaos, Sydney had managed to grab the twins and escape upstairs with only Will waking up. He looked around with wide eyes, Sydney putting Matty onto the large bed and Will beside his brother.

"Look at you two – covered with kisses. I think it's bath time." She coerced a smile from the blonde-haired little guy as she stood up and peeked into Danny's room across the hall. Finding her son in the middle of the floor unpacking his suitcase full of toys, she sent him a smile.

"Hey, big guy. Wanna do me a big favor?"

"Shore!"

"Will you run downstairs and tell daddy that I'm going to take a bath and that I've got the twins?"

"But momma, if I go down there, they'll _get _me!"

"C'mon, baby…please?" she pleaded, knowing full-well that she'd never get away from the bustling family setting. "Mommy's too tired to talk to everyone."

"Can't we just stay up here? You can take a bath, and I can play wiff my dinosaurs, and they won't catch us!" he exclaimed. "Daddy can find us, he lived her once when he was my big."

She couldn't help but laugh at his words, ruffling his hair before closing the door and hearing the little coos from the bedroom. Matty was dead to the world, his little fingers twitching as he dreamt. His brother on the other hand was wide-awake, and since it had been about three days since his last bath, she began running the water in the Victorian-style bathtub.

Making sure it wasn't too hot for his little body, or too cool for hers, she got him undressed, tossing out his soggy diaper before removing her clothes. Taking a moment to pull her hair up into a bun, several curled tresses refusing to stay up, she lifted the nude infant and set him against her bare chest before marching to the bathroom and sliding into the warm water.

He cooed and let out a sigh as the liquid surrounded his tiny body, Sydney letting it lap at his shoulders before stopping it from going any higher. Taking the soft washcloth they'd packed, she wet it before placing it over his back and rubbing gently. He stuck his wet thumb into his mouth with another little whimper, more than content in this little warm cocoon.

Sitting for about ten more minutes, she decided that she'd better wash him before he fell asleep on her. Sitting up, hearing his little grunt of disapproval, she bent her knees up and lay him back. Peering up at her with blue-green eyes, Sydney excited that they were finally changing from their newborn shade of pure blue, she smiled and placed a soft kiss to his stomach. Washing him carefully with the baby body wash she'd packed, he made soft noises as his hands tried to chase hers in a series of uncoordinated movements.

She talked quietly to him as she rinsed him off, moving him back against her chest as she stood, reaching for a towel. Wrapping him up first in a small terry cloth before swaddling herself in a large fluffy towel, she walked into the bedroom to see Michael reading a book to Danny, Matty sleeping peacefully on Vaughn's chest.

"How was your bath momma?"

"It was good baby. You need to get to bed if you're planning on doing anything tomorrow." Dressing the little Will into his diaper and fuzzy zip up pajamas – all without dropping the towel around her own wet, nude, body, Danny grumbled but climbed down and headed off to his own room to get changed for bed.

"Sorry about before. Did the aunties bug you _too _much?" Michael smiled, setting the book down and cuddling up with his littlest boy.

"Nah, it wasn't too bad. You've got a nice family."

"They're yours now too, remember? You married in. What incriminating stories did my mom force upon you?" Vaughn asked, slightly curious about the conversation between the gaggle of women.

"Oh, nothing too bad, she promised to get into that tomorrow."

"Nice evasion," Michael tossed her a smile, seeing through her attempt at getting around his question. "Was it about my dad?"

"Yeah…there were a few stories in there about your father. But…I'm okay, it's fine. It's your family, Vaughn, you can't expect them not to talk about him at _all_,"

"Maybe we should just tell them-"

"Absolutely not." She snapped, unzipping her suitcase and pulling out a pajama set. Dropping the towel, his eyes following its path to the floor, he couldn't help but feel a small stirring of arousal for his wife as she dressed angrily. "You promised you wouldn't say anything – this was going to just be between us."

"Do you know how much this is killing me, Sydney? To talk to my mom and hear her say how much she misses my dad? To look her in the eyes and tell her that we never did find the person who killed him and knowing that I'm lying to her?"

Her shoulders slouched as she slid into the warm button-up shirt. "I'm sorry, baby, but…"

"This isn't just about you anymore, Sydney."

Turning to face him with a frown, "it never was, Vaughn."

"It always has been, baby. You can't just sit here and pretend it never happened, you'll be miserable for the rest of the week."

"Who says I'm not? I would've been happy just staying at home with the boys!"

"Damn it, Syd, no one would blame you for something you didn't do! _You didn't kill my father_!"

"No, but my mom _did_! A mother that I've _learned _to care for! I mean…doesn't that bother you?"

"No! Why the hell does it bother you so much?!" he yelled, Matty waking with a start and crying instantly.

The couple each closed their eyes and took a deep breath, trying desperately to keep their emotions in check, Michael quieting the startled infant.

"You've gotta get past this, Syd. It has to stop," he ordered, standing up and making his way out of the room. Opening the door, he was greeted with the angry, appalled face of his mother.

"Apparently…we need to talk." She growled, entering the room without permission.

Sydney's heart plummeted to her stomach. She hadn't thought of someone overhearing their argument, let alone that somebody being Michael's mother.

"Maman-"

"Michael, you lied to me!" she growled, taking the baby from her son and handing him to his startled wife. "Sydney, I would like a moment alone with Michael, if you don't mind."

Sydney put the now awake Will to her shoulder, accepting Matty on the way out. The door was closed behind her, and for a moment she felt completely deflated.

"Momma? Can you tuck me in?" Danny's little voice pulled her from her thoughts. Compartmentalizing her emotions and walking slowly to the boy's new bedroom. "Why were you and daddy yelling?"

"We just had a little argument, baby, it's nothing for you to worry about. Now, c'mon, let's get washed up and ready for bed."

Placing the twins in an antique crib, they climbed into the bed. "Can't I sleep with you and daddy?"

"No, pumpkin, you have to sleep in here. It'll be fine, I promise."

"Will you lay wiff me until I fall 'sleep?"

She acquiesced, not entirely knowing when it would be safe to enter her own room for the night. They curled up on the bed, Danny's back against her chest as she hugged him close, running her fingers through his hair.

"Michael…I…I'm completely at a loss of words." Amelie crossed her arms over her chest, staring at her son with teary blue eyes. "You've lied to me so many times…and – and about **this**, Michel! About **him**!"

Pinching the bridge of his nose and rubbing his head, he stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. She made no move to hug him back, but didn't pull away so he continued.

"Je suis si désolé, maman. I…I never wanted to hide this from you." [I'm so sorry, mom.]

"Puis pourquoi vous a fait?" she asked, a quaver in her voice, pulling out of his comforting embrace to fix him with a sad and questioning stare. "Because of, Sydney?" [Then why did you?]

"Yes and no, but…Sydney means a lot to me maman; her feelings mean a lot to me. I wouldn't want to hurt her,"

"Je suis votre MÈRE Michel!" [I am your MOTHER Michael!] She shouted, pointing a delicate finger at him. "It was not your decision to make! You cannot decide whether or not I would want to know that you found the killer of my **husband**!"

"The minute I found out, I wanted to call you. But…I wasn't allowed to."

"Damn your protocol, Michel Christoph! Vous l'avez cassé assez de temps de gâter votre précieux, Sydney, vous ne pourriez pas me dire au sujet de votre père?!" [You broke it enough times to coddle your precious, Sydney, you couldn't tell me about your father?!]

"Non, attendez une minute-" [No, wait a minute-] Michael started, but was quickly silenced by his mother's hand.

"How long have you known? Combien de temps?" [How long?] She asked, Michael stopping and looking down at his feet.

He honestly thought of lying to his mother at that moment, just to make it easier on him.

"Almost...about – a little over five years."

A deafening crack filled the air as his mother's hand came into contact with his cheek, the stinging sensation radiating from his heart rather than his face. Michael was in complete shock; not only had his mother struck him – he'd given her a reason to.

"Michael…you…you've known for five years and you've said _nothing_?" Amelie sobbed, turning and leaving the room in a rush.

Vaughn didn't exactly know how to react…or – if he should. Reacting right now probably wouldn't look pretty…he was close enough to tears as it was. But two conflicting emotions began swirling in his stomach, leaving him with an ache that filled his soul raw. Falling back onto the bed, his head in his hands, he was barely aware of the door opening up and Sydney walking in.

"Baby…I…I'm sorry."

Speaking softly from the doorway, unsure if he actually wanted her there, she waited for confirmation. He looked so broken sitting on the bed alone, and she ached to hold him, despite the fact that she was the major catalyst to the battle between mother and son.

"I – just wanted to tell her the truth, Syd," he groaned, his voice slightly muffled inside his hands.

"I know,"

"I always have, but it's just so hard. I mean…I had a hard enough time getting over it myself, I guess I just didn't want to put her through that."

"I guess…what she said was right. It wasn't our decision to make. I'm sorry that I pressured you into keeping my mother from your mother." She moved to the edge of the bed, running a hand through his hair as he reached out, pulling her close to push his head into her abdomen.

Wrapping his arms around her waist and bringing her between his legs, "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

She smiled at his quiet words before tipping them backward to land on the fluffy bed. He squirmed up until his head was propped against her chest, falling asleep almost immediately. Sydney allowed herself to doze, waking about four hours later; she carefully extracted herself from Vaughn's grasp. Pushing a kiss into his forehead and getting up from the bed she made her way quietly down the hall.

Checking on the boys she found that Danny had tossed and turned until his pillow was lying on the floor and his blanket was hanging from the edge of the bed - along with a leg and an arm. Smiling as he drooled into his pillow, she rearranged his bed and slid him back under the blanket. Peeking at her watch and knowing the twins would need fed in about two hours, she decided to sneak down to the kitchen for a cup of tea.

Flipping on the lamp at the bottom of the stairs, she wandered into the kitchen and jumped at the sight of a tattered and red-eyed Amelie seated in the windowsill of the breakfast nook. The elder woman jumped when the light turned on as Sydney let out a small squeak.

Completely caught off guard on both ends, Amelie and Sydney could only stare at one another before reacting.

"Tea?" Sydney squeaked, Michael's mother sending her a small smile and pointing into the kitchen.

"I've got chamomile on the stove, help…help yourself."

Finding a cup and pouring the tea, she found the honey and sugar sitting on the long counter. Making her concoction and taking a seat at the table, there was uncomfortable silence between the two. Mixed with an occasional sip of the burning hot liquid, Sydney finally spoke.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Amelie asked, turning to regard the young woman from her previous bout of staring into the darkness of the backyard.

"I'm sorry for…for everything. For bringing the past with me…for starting a fight between you and, Vaughn; for…for what my mother did." Sydney's voice quavered as she leaned in closer to her beverage, taking another sip, unable to meet Mrs. Vaughn's eyes.

"Why didn't you two tell me before?"

"We…we were wrong in keeping this from you for such a long time. Michael broke protocol for me, I can't imagine why he didn't for you. But it wasn't easy for him either."

Amelie shook her head, looking back out the window. "It wasn't your decision to make for me, Sydney. Or, Michael. I should have been told the truth. I…I'm not mad about what…happened between William and…"

"My mother," Sydney finished, knowing the sentence was hard to complete for the middle aged woman.

"Yes…your mother. How…how can you live with what she did to my husband?"

Truth was, Sydney didn't want to answer her. She'd had plenty of long meetings with Barnett and Michael when her insecurities would come up over and over again. Especially when Irina was in custody and she was forced to be a double agent, deal with a traitorous mother, as well as keep a budding relationship with Vaughn under wraps.

"Your husband wasn't the only CIA operative that my mother killed, Amelie. Though...William Vaughn's family is closer to home, I still feel this…guilt for what she did to eleven other families."

"Eleven other families? And you have _feelings _for this woman?" the woman's head turned quickly, a glare of confusion marring her features.

Pondering whether or not to answer correctly, "because she's my _mother_." Facing her mother-in-law for the first time since she'd sat down, Amelie quickly turned away. "If I could right all of her wrongs, I would; don't blame this on Vaughn. He…I badgered him into keeping the truth from you and your family because I was selfish. I figured that…you wouldn't want to have anything to do with us if you knew. It's not every day that a situation like Vaughn's and mine comes along, but I guess we've taken it in stride."

"I just don't understand at all. Michael shouldn't ever be able to forgive that woman for what she did to us,"

"Oh…he hasn't. But the fact that Irina saved my life, as well as the children's has made up a lot in his mind."

"I don't know how you can forgive her this easily either," Amelie's voice softened as she relinquished her spot on the windowsill and moved to sit beside the torn young woman.

"If Michael killed someone…would you look differently at him?"

"What?"

"Just…answer. Let's say that we were on an operation, and Michael had to kill someone. In self defense; would you begrudge him for it? Would you choose a nameless man's life over your son's?"

"Of course not!" Amelie answered frankly, still confused about Sydney's question.

"Bill Vaughn was never a nameless face to me. I had a series of first edition books handed down to me by my father. He'd given them to mom, when they were still married, from a little shop in Prague. Long story short, I found a series of KGB orders imbedded in the pages of the books. When I handed them over to Vaughn, he had them analyzed and found the names of the CIA operatives and the orders to kill them."

"She just…left them with your father?"

Sydney shook her head, "she faked her death when I was six. Anyway, we confronted our superiors because we believed the killer to be my father. That was when Vaughn told me that his father's name was one of twelve in the books, and I…I honestly didn't know what to think. I still don't. But…Michael and I didn't know until that meeting that my mother hadn't been anything other than an English teacher at U.C.L.A. Learning in a single hour that my mother was responsible for the death of agents, was K.G.B. – a sworn enemy to my own government – was a lot to take in."

"I can imagine."

Sydney continued telling Amelie bits and pieces of her past with her mother – how she'd come to the CIA as a walk-in, and everything up until she had the twins. The woman was stunned to say the least, and Sydney preferred to leave her that way.

"I don't mean to tell you how to…reconcile with Michael, but I do know that he loves and values your confidence and respect. I told you all of this so you could try and work past, well – the past. I've tried for so long to ignore my gene pool, but Vaughn's helped me see the other side of the tunnel. Let him do the same for you, please? If you're planning on being angry at anyone, let it be me. It's my family. Don't take this out on, Michael."

Setting a comforting hand to her mother-in-law's willowy wrist, Sydney rose and excused herself for the night. She watched as Amelie poured herself a cup of tea and reoccupied her spot in the nook's window. Turning and making her way back up the steps she nearly ran into Michael as he sat with his head in his hands and tears in his eyes.

"You okay?" she asked tentatively, frowning with realization that he'd probably heard most, if not everything she'd said to his mother.

"You didn't have to do that, Sydney; I could've taken care of it."

"I know…but I felt that it was partially my story to tell, as well as yours. I left a lot of things open-ended, so you'll get a chance to fill in the blanks. You're not angry, are you?"

"Opposite, actually. I'm very proud of you." Rising with a smile, he pressed his lips against her forehead before taking her hands and leading her back up the steps and into their bedroom. "Let's sleep…it's been a very long day."

Laughing in agreement, she and Michael curled up underneath the blankets, and like magnets found themselves tangled together in a mass of limbs.

"Thanks, Syd,"

"Welcome, baby. Tomorrow will be better," she promised, tucking her head underneath his chin and letting her thoughts, memories, worries, and mind drift off.

A/N: So, I never saw – if it ever happened – Amelie reacting with anything less than complete astonishment when finding that her own son knew of her husband's death and who had been the murderer. There's still gonna be some angst, it won't be something they'll all get over immediately, but hey – that'll make an uber long fanfic, right?

Thanks all! Don't forget to read and review!

-Jeanie


	3. Chapter 3: Putting Together the Pieces

**Chapter 3: Putting Together the Pieces  
**

"He's all fluffy momma!" Danny giggled as his father slid warm mittens onto the boy's hands, struggling when the brother pointed over at baby Will.

The infant was sporting a new winter suit complete with a fur lining sticking out from the sleeves and circling the hem of the hood.

"He looks like a little angel. Do you have a matching one for little Matthew?" Trish questioned, pulling the freshly dressed bundle out of Sydney's arms as the mother tried to put miniature boots onto tiny socked feet.

Rolling her eyes as she saw the smile on Vaughn's face, she settled with beginning to get herself ready for the day out sledding.

"No, I'm afraid his ears aren't doing too well. So, he's all yours for the afternoon while I take my other children sledding. That includes the big one." Sydney laughed, Michael glaring playfully at his wife while slapping a little hat onto Danny's head.

Will's face scrunched up as the little heat-swaddled cocoon he was wrapped in became far too much for his body. "Well, we're ready to go. Maman?"

Just as Michael called for her she rounded the corner while pushing leather gloves onto her hands.

Sydney kissed sleepy Matty's forehead before the small family walked out into the crisp air, the brightness of the gleaming white snow blinding them temporarily. Danny scampered ahead, the rope connecting him to an old wooden sled as it dragged through the snow behind him. Amelie took Will, eye's bright and absorbent, Michael giving directions to his excited five-year old on where to go to get to the hill.

"This'll be nice." Sydney said quietly, shouldering up to her husband as their cotton-covered hands joined, Michael smiling down at her. "The first chance you get, I want you to spend some time with your mom. I...I think it'll be good for both of you."

Michael pulled away slightly, though his wife's insistent fingers gripping his made him unable to completely dislodge himself. "Sydney...when my mom wants to talk, she'll talk. That's how our problems have always been taken care of."

"This isn't like you getting home past curfew, Michael."

"Back off...please? Let my family take care of this in their own way." His voice was reassuring, though the squeeze of his hand was telling her to keep the situation under wraps.

Vaughn, on the other hand, wasn't entirely prepared for the hurt look to flash across his wife's eyes. "Well...the minute I become part of this family you let me know."

Michael stopped, watching as Sydney compartmentalized their argument and took their impatient son's hand, leading him up the hill on the back end of the property.

"I never sledded before mama, can you show me how to go?"

Laughing at the diligent little boy's spirit as he climbed into the sled, waiting for it to go on its own. "Hold on, baby, it won't go on its own. Let me push you first, and then we can see if you can do it on your own."

"Go mama, go!" Danny squealed as Sydney gave him a push, the small slope great as a beginning course for the newbie.

"Michel, are you frozen mon garcon?" Amelie cooed at the smiling infant as she caught up with her son, seeing him watch part of his family goof around in the snow. "Did you say something you shouldn't have, Michel?"

"Probably." he grunted, giving a short laugh as he turned to see his rosy cheeked, blonde little boy watching him with wide blue-green eyes. A toothless grin from the nearly two month old baby squishing his face.

"My son, you know we will talk. I...I'm just not ready right yet. I know what's happening between you and Sydney, but I will not allow this to hover over your marriage any longer. It was over twenty years ago and believe it or not, I made my peace with Bill's death long ago."

"But maman-"

"No, Michel. I have made my peace with his death. This doesn't mean I wouldn't like to see that Derevko woman rotting where she belongs," Amelie paused, seeing an interruptive look on her son's face. "Let me ask you something, Michel. If I could do something about it...would I?"

"Maman, I'm not you. I can't tell you what you will or won't or wouldn't do." Frustrated with the turn of the conversations direction, he stuck his padded hands into his pockets before rocking back onto his heels. Averting his eyes to the toe of his boot, the French woman tried not to compare his current stance to his boyish actions from years past.

"Michael...if you could have changed the past...would you?"

"Of course." Without missing a heartbeat, his answer spilled out as he reached over and took the little frail baby into his arms. Pressing a kiss to his temple, he was slightly stunned with his mother - albeit gently - took the baby back from him.

"Think before you speak. If Derevko hadn't...come into contact with your father, would you have tried so hard to follow in his footsteps?"

"Ummm..."

Interrupting quickly, "no. You wouldn't have. You were so set on being a world famous hockey player. Or a lawyer. Now. If she hadn't been involved with your father...what would have happened to Sydney?"

"She...may have had a mother. Still...she would have been a lying, cheating, sinister mother, but a mother all the same."

"In which case, perhaps she would have continued on with school to become an English teacher - never having once stepped foot into a CIA office."

Michael was silent, looking intently at the knowledgeable woman before him as the puzzle pieces began locking in to place.

"Follow me here. If Sydney had become a teacher and not an agent...would you two have ever met?"

"P-probably not."

"Which means that all you have here...these boys and your wife...wouldn't exist."

The thought of losing Sydney...his Sydney...and his children made his heart drop into his stomach. His mind drifted to unpleasant places, recalling Cuba...Kirov and Moscow...watching them leave Los Angeles - their home exploding in a raging fireball.

"Michel...if anything - anything at all - your father's death at Derevko's hands set the stage for you to meet your wife. Don't take this for granted, mon fils. Sydney and the boys have filled this void that has been in my heart for over twenty years."

Amelie retreated up the hill toward the bench midway, and Michael was once again left standing alone in the wintery scene watching his family frolic without him.

Sydney caught the happy little boy at the bottom of the hill before sending him back up with the sled.

"Hey...can...can I apologize?"

"Can you?" she asked, looking over at him through hooded eyes, a few errant snowflakes sticking to her eyelashes. Her cheeks were red, as was the tip of her nose, though she didn't seem to mind while turning and looking back up the hill to see Danny accepting a Kleenex from his grandmother.

"I was way out of line back there, and I'm sorry. I had no right to...to tell you that you weren't part of this family. I mean...whatever affects us is gonna end up on your lap as well; I'm just sorry I tried to single you out."

Sydney nodded, looking over at his green puppy-dog eyes and seeing the concern and love that had been so apparent since she'd grabbed his hand on the pier so many years ago. Reaching out with her hand and cupping the back of his neck, she pulled him in for a sweet kiss.

Their lips caressed gently for a moment before he deepened it. Wrapping one arm around her shoulders and guiding her body against his with his other around her waist, his tongue languidly traced her lips before entering her mouth briefly.

The next thing they knew they felt as though they were tackled by a linebacker. Sydney landed on top of him, Vaughn breaking her fall into the padded snow as Danny laughed and giggled beside them. The boy had bailed from his sled, rolling right into his parents legs as the abandoned sled continued its way down the hill without a rider.

A full on snowball fight slash wrestling match began, Michael's mother grabbing her camera and snapping as many shots as she could without disturbing the comfortable baby against her chest. After the snow had settled, Sydney was still on Michael's chest as the triumphant boy laid on his stomach over Sydney's back.

His face was somewhat pale and he was winded, Sydney and Michael deciding to call it a day as they got everything together and headed home. Danny fell asleep while pulled in the sled as they walked back, Sydney putting him to sleep for an afternoon nap before joining Michael in the kitchen for some hot tea.

Strangely, they found themselves alone for the moment, both adults taking advantage of the situation as he poured her a tea into a mug, taking coffee for himself. Ferrying it over to the table she set a hand to his arm. Vaughn leaning in and pressing his mouth insistently against hers.

"Well, Will and Matty are sleeping soundly," Vaughn's mom walked back into the kitchen, interrupting the moment, "oooh, I'm sorry. I didn't know...why don't you two take a moment to yourself. I'll take care of anything that comes up."

The parents looked back and forth, deciding immediately that it was a moment not to be wasted. "If you insist," Michael grinned as he pulled Sydney up with him and headed for the stairs. "Umm...we're just going to go change clothes and possibly go into town and do some shopping."

"Take your time." Amelie laughed, taking their still full cups and setting them onto the marble counter. "I'll take care of the boys."

* * * *

A/N: A sorta uneventful chapter - not to mention really really short...but it's going to lead to SV sex. Reading through the first couple chapters, I realized that they haven't even gotten it on yet! And that ain't right. Anywho, lemme know if you're all still alive.

-Jean


	4. Chapter 4: Home

Chapter 4: Home

"You're okay with this?" Sydney's muffled voice broke the silence of the room, the only other sound coming from their clothing hitting the floor.

"Ummm...why wouldn't I be okay with this? I mean...we've had a total of two chances - neither of which leading to sex - since you had the twins to do this. We're both ready." he laughed and pulled his shirt off over his head, Sydney taking a moment to analyze the rippling muscles of his arms and torso.

"But I mean...this is your bedroom."

"Ours."

"No...your bedroom from when you were a kid - a teenager. How many girls have been in this room?" she asked coyly, Michael tossing her a glare as he pulled her into the circle of his arms and brushed a kiss to her nose.

"You're the only one that matters, does that count?"

After safely evading her inquiry he lowered his mouth to hers and pressed a loving kiss to her swollen lips. What started out as a loving gesture turned into lust-filled exploration though they both knew the depths of one another's mouth almost as well their own. Managing the clasp of her bra he slid it down her arms, the silky cloth hitting the floor before their lips broke apart to gulp in much needed oxygen.

Bending her backwards over his arms, she laughed against his lips before feeling the padding of their bed behind her. Stretching out luxuriously atop the coverlet, Vaughn's fingers skimmed her smooth skin from Sydney's neck, across her perky and milk-filled breasts down to her stomach where a small layer of baby fat was still sitting low around her belly button.

"I love your little baby fat,"

Sydney rolled her eyes and brushed her fingers through his tousled hair. "If that's not a mood killer, I don't' know what is."

"Oh c'mon, it's not that bad, baby. It's almost gone anyway, but still. I loved it."

"Seeing me as big as a whale?"

Rather than answering he placed an open-mouth kiss to her lower stomach directly above her panties. "I thought it was sexy."

"You know…it's been like three and a half months. I don't know about you but I feel really impatient right about now." Sydney grumbled, fire radiating from the place where Michael's mouth had just been.

Vaughn nodded in agreement, proceeding to remove the rest of her clothes as her hands tugged at his, his hot body smothering hers a moment later. Their mouths collided, tongues swirling and clashing as his insistent cock pressed against her stomach.

With each throb of his body against hers, her fingers clenched against his shoulders, nails leaving crescent indentions as he groaned into her mouth in reaction. Her legs instantly wrapped around his waist and lifted her hips up to apply a delicious amount of friction and pressure against his straining hard-on, both bodies shuddering against the surges of lust and passion flowing to their loins.

"Can't wait any longer sweetie…I don't think this'll be too long," he grumbled, mouths pulling apart with a smack as he pulled apart far enough to align his body with hers, Sydney bouncing her hips in agreement.

In a single thrust, he impaled himself inside her heat. Both gasped in unison, Michael relishing in the feeling of being back inside his Sydney , as she attempted to adjust to his sudden girth.

Michael groaned, burying his face in her throat with a harsh whisper. "God baby, it's been too long."

Merely nodding and knowing he understood her, their bodies moved in tandem at a quick pace. Each orgasm rose, Sydney's bursting before Vaughn's as her clenching muscles pushed him over the edge as he spilled his seed into her channel with a groan, letting her resulting contractions milk him dry before collapsing over her with a whoosh of air from each set of lungs.

She clung to him, peppering kisses along his shoulder and neck as he sighed and sunk onto her chest, closing his eyes.

What seemed like moments later, Michael woke alone and confused. 'Wasn't she just right here?' he questioned in his mind, his fuzzy eyes searching for his missing wife. The first thing he noticed while looking around was the dark shade of the room, the absence of the sun telling him that the time was drastically different from when he and Sydney had made love.

With a grunt and a shove he pushed his naked body off the bed and yawned, his legs swinging over the edge as he found his clothes in a neat pile on the chair across from him. Smiling at her thoughtfulness, he lumbered over and slid them back on, laughter wafting from the lower level.

Making his way down slowly he heard a little grunt from the bassinette at the end of the bed. Finding Matty wide awake and gazing around the room, his free arms coming close to his sleeping brother's head, Michael flashed him a wide smile and picked him up, the deep blue of the infant's eyes glimmering as he recognized his daddy.

"Let's go see what everyone's up to, shall we?" A grunt was his response, Vaughn taking that as a yes as they made their way downstairs.

The aunties were knitting or reading in the living room, Trish waving at him with a smile. "How was your nap?" At the giggles and winks from the women around him a blush rose up from his neck to his cheeks, Michael rolling his eyes before following his mother's voice into the kitchen.

Sydney, Danny, and Amelie were all wearing aprons, flour and powdered sugar all over the countertops as they folded dough for what he assumed was cookies.

"Daddy! We're makin' Chrissmiss cookies!" Danny squealed, a handful of squishy dough oozing out between his fingers as he squeezed it mercilessly.

"Christmas cookies? Isn't it January?" Michael asked, leaning in and kissing his wife lightly while brushing flour out of the little boy's hair.

"Nana said that since we missed Chrissmass wif her, we can bake cookies right now."

Michael nodded, pressing a kiss to his mother's head as well before taking a seat at the large table and moving the baby into the cradle of his arm.

"So, Daniel...did Santa come and visit you?"

The little boy nodded, though confusion dotted his face. "Mommy told me about him...and he did leave me some presents under our tree, but what does he do wiff Chrissmass?"

"What do you mean, sweetie?" Sydney asked, folding more of the dough with her strong hands.

"Well...isn't Chrissmass 'bout someone's birfday?"

"Yes indeed, mon cher, it is about Jesus' birthday."

Danny stopped working the small ball of dough in front of him, poking idly at it with a single finger. "But then what does Santa do wiff Chrissmass? Is he Jesus' friend?"

Sydney laughed with a nod, not knowing that her little boy had so many questions about the tales of Santa and the Holy Story.

"He's a good friend. He brings toys to all the kids in the world, remember? We talked about it before Christmas Eve?"

"Did he even take presents to girls?"

Michael laughed, his motion jogging the infant in his arms. "Yeah, buddy, even to girls."

"Where does he get all them toys? I see lotsa kids at the park, and that's lotsa toys."

Amelie spoke up, seeing the parents in a bit of a corner. "See, little Daniel, St. Nick has a workshop in the North Pole where he has many many elves make all of the toys for the children. And then, after they're all done and it's Christmas time, he puts the toys into his sled and flys from house to house to drop them off with eight little reindeer pulling it through the sky. Do you understand?"

"Who's St. Nick?"

"St. Nick is Santa Claus." Sydney chimed in, Amelie rolling her eyes at the questions from the boy's mouth.

"I thought Santa was Santa," Danny grunted, grabbing and pressing the star shape into the dough after his mother had flattened it. His small tongue poked out of his mouth, Michael cocking an eyebrow at his wife.

"Umm…St. Nick is what some…other people call Santa. We call him Santa…and they call him St. Nicholas."

"Who's St. Nicholas?"

She sighed, looking down at the curious little boy and finding his large green eyes focused solely on her. "St. Nicholas is St. Nick, who we call: Santa Claus."

"How many names does he need?"

"Plenty…obviously." Vaughn chirped from the table, Matty squeaking in agreement as Sydney shot him a crooked smile and the evil-eye.

"Enough Christmas talk young man, let's finish up these cookies so we can put frosting on them. Would you like to help with that?"

After the treats were baked and frosted - and Danny had one too many - the sugar high sent him running through the livingroom with a model airplane at top speed for fifteen solid minutes. Sydney and Michael were amazed, for nothing they'd given him as a snack had sent him into this frenzy before. But, like clockwork, after the sugar had left his system, he felt straight so sleep. His hands still held the airplane as his rear end stuck straight up into the air and his cheek mashed against the carpet.

Deciding that it was past time for bed, Sydney gathered him up after feeding Matty and Will. The small family said their goodnights and made their way upstairs. Tomorrow looking like it was going to be fairly busy with the bridal party doing their fittings, the wedding inching closer.

* * *

A/N: Okay...I wrote the ending like 50 times, and this was the best ending I could drum up. It sucked...but it's something of an ending to the chapter. Anywho...I got a pretty good idea for another YWBR chapter...so that'll probably be coming up next, so YAY!

-Jeanie


	5. Chapter 5: Woebegone

Chapter 5: Woe-Be-Gone

"Ouch!" Danny complained, lifting his mouth to cover his cough as his aunt growled, sticking him with yet another pin as their tried to fit the miniature tux to the fidgeting little boy.

The ring bearer wasn't able to make the wedding, the family catching the flu and giving the bridal party two days to find another kid to make the walk down the isle with the flower girl. They'd chosen Danny the night before the wedding, grabbing the little outfit and the boy to set out and make the slightly large suit fit. Danny's cold was beginning to ebb, though it left behind a cough that was equally as annoying as it was worrying for the parents. With Danny being on chemotherapy, his immune system already damaged, any cold was troublesome for the little guy.

"If you do not hold still, you will be poked." Aunt Delilah grumbled behind a mouthful of little dress pins as she straightened out the back of the overcoat, Sydney walking into the room with a smile and a bottle of cough syrup accompanied by a spoon.

"Eww…momma, it's gross!"

"I know honey, but it'll help your cough. Open wide," she poured the concoction into the tablespoon and moved it toward his mouth, her hand cupping under his chin to keep any of the red stickyness from getting onto the expensive outfit.

Danny made a face as he swallowed, Sydney kissing his forehead to check for temperature before leaving the room quietly. "Momma, you gonna come back?"

"Sure baby, let me tell your daddy to tuck the twins in."

Sliding the medicine into the cabinet in the kitchen, she made her way upstairs and nearly ran into Michael as he walked Will back and forth in the long hallway.

"Not interested in sleep?"

He smiled and shook his head, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips before she moved past the daddy and baby into the bedroom where Matty wiggled on the comfortable bedspread. He instantly smiled as his mommy walked over and picked him up, soft coos coming from his lips as she checked both of his ears. Putting in his drops and patting his back gently, Vaughn walked into the room and placed the sleeping blonde little boy into the antique crib before she handed off the tiniest of their children with a parting kiss to his soft hair.

"I'm gonna go spend some time with Danny as he gets fitted. He's about a miserable as a five-year-old can be when forced to stand still for over an hour."

The fitting was soon over, chalk marks made where the hemming needed to take place and Daniel was set free. Scampering off in his boxers and an undershirt, he flopped down at a pile of toys as Sydney grinned.

"Let's actually put clothes on you, kiddo. You're almost naked, and I think grammy would have something to say about that. Besides, tomorrow's the wedding, and we need to get a lot of good sleep."

Reluctantly he agreed, giving out hugs and kisses to the family members in the living room before Sydney picked him up, his chest bumping into her shoulder.

He grunted, rubbing it with his little hand. "You okay? Your chest hurt?"

"Just because I bumped it…it's okay," he mumbled, wrapping his arms around her neck and lying his head on her shoulder with a yawn.

Bed time was swift, and after a story and a kiss from each parent, the five-year-old was sound asleep.

In the bedroom across the hall, Sydney slipped out of her button up shirt and stood in the middle of the room in her bra and a nice pair of jeans, a soft wail from the crib in the corner making her smile. Walking over and seeing a wide awake little Will staring up at the ceiling, she heard his tiny tummy grumble and laughed.

"Here I thought you'd actually miss the two hour marker to be fed little boy...I guess I was wrong." Lifting him up against her nearly bare chest, she slid into the bed and leaned back against stacked pillows at the headboard.

Unclasping her bra and setting his meal free, his mouth instantly roamed her breast until he found what he was looking for and latched on. He drank his meal greedily, little grunts and squeaks of pleasure filling in the moments between his suckling smacks.

"Well...if you feed him like this every time I'd happily watch every single feeding." Her head rose slowly, her loving gaze breaking from the little set of blue-green eyes of her son, turning more and more green by the day, to focus on the equally loving stare of her husband.

"Do you miss it?" she asked quietly, keeping her voice low in hopes of Will falling asleep during his meal rather than requiring his usual burp-then-walk for at least twenty minutes after being fed.

"Do I miss what? You? Definitely," he laughed, sidling up to the bed with a cheshire-cat grin before running a finger from the ankle to her hip of her right leg.

She laughed, Will cooing with a milky smile at her breast as if her was in on the joke. "No...the action-packed life that we used to have. Do you miss it?"

"You want the truth?"

"Of course."

Michael scratched the back of his neck before choosing his words wisely, "I suppose I do...sometimes, but," he paused, slipping beside her on top of the down comforter, "I think it's outweighed by scenes like this."

He stroked his son's round cheek with a finger before pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I wouldn't go back to that life for anything that I can't already get here."

"Even the adrenalin highs?"

"All I have to do it run around in the backyard with Danny and Denver and I'm ready to collapse."

"Even wearing something dapper and crashing huge parties for some scandalous relic?"

"All I have to do is con you to go on a date with me and I can wear something dapper and get a sexy lady on my arm at the same time." Kissing her bare shoulder with a grin as Will promptly let go with a smack and a satisfied gurgle.

"That was mighty rude little boy," she playfully scolded as she snapped her bra back together before setting Will against his father's shoulder, waiting for Michael to accept the little bundle before standing and pulling out her pajamas from the top drawer of the dresser.

"Why all the questions?"

"Oh...you know. Spending nearly a week talking about our lives to each inquisitive relative just brought up a bunch of memories. You really don't miss it?"

"Nah. The pay off could never outweigh the risk. I'd be beside myself if I actually lost you again...there wasn't anything the CIA could have offered me that you haven't given me three of." Pressing a kiss to Will's head as he tapped his back gently, waiting for the burp that would probably be follow up by a white creamy curdle, he sent a completely satisfied smile over to his wife.

"I'm excited for the wedding tomorrow," she confessed before removing her bra and pulling the tight camisole over her body, her trousers following as she slipped into a pair of Vaughn's oversized sweat pants. Leaning over and capturing his lips in a soft, sweet kiss before standing up. "Thanks for the love."  
"Anytime baby. I can't wait to see Danny in his suit tomorrow...he's gonna steal the show."

The wedding went off without a hitch, the bride and groom equal parts of beautiful and handsome as they stood stoically at the front of the church taking one of the most important steps of their lives. Sydney and Vaughn couldn't keep the goofy smiles off of their faces as they watched the procession, Danny walking straight down the aisle with the flower girl holding onto his arm. The four-year-old little princess forgot to lay down any flower petals along the way, remembering at the last minute before letting go of Danny's arm to pick up a large handful and toss them at the stairs leading up to the altar.

Danny clung to his little heart shaped pillow, making sure to keep it even as the small black box sat on top of the fluffy, ruffled surface.

_"Mom?"_

"Mmhmm?"

"What's the ring brearer do?"

Sydney laughed as she knelt in front of the little boy fixing his tie and making sure his polished little black shoes wouldn't come untied during his trek down the aisle. "Well, the ring bearer holds the rings that the bride and groom are going to give each other." 'Sort of,' she finished in her mind, knowing that the ring bearer only carried cheap imitations of the solid gold bands. 'No need to ruin it for him.'

"Like the ones that you and daddy have?" His little hand traced her finger as he felt the cool metal of her own wedding ring.

"Yep. They're going to get married just like your daddy and I did."

"No…we did it on the beach, they're in a church." He countered, his mother laughing before pressing a kiss to his forehead and handing him off to the best man as she went upstairs join the rest of the congregation.

Near the end of the ceremony, when the pastor asked for the rings, laughs echoed through the large room as little Danny stepped forward and tugged on the groom's tuxedo jacket.

"I have some," his sweet little voice echoed, his hands offering up the pillow with a bright smile. The young man looked down at Danny with a smile, a twinkle in his eye at a thought of the future with his own children as the best man pulled the little boy back into place with a gentle hand and a soft smile. Extracting the official rings from his breast pocket, the ceremony continued without another interruption.

Now, at the reception, the little boy was having the time of his life. Though his attire had slipped here and there, his shirt un-tucked on one side and his cummerbund and tie removed completely. There was only a handful of children around his age, and a dozen or so others older than him by at least five years, but at potentially boring situations such as these, the children had banded together and were currently bouncing around on the dance floor between several adults.

Sydney stood talking with another one of Vaughn's cousins as the new mother cradled a three week old little baby in her arms. Matty was curled up against Sydney's chest as the women talked, oblivious to the party raging around his tiny little body.

"He is so adorable!" Sydney gushed, the women trading infants after a few moments, Sydney realizing how much her little babies had grown in two months once Matty Was relinquished and the teeny infant was in her arms. "Logan, you're so tiny…it's been so long since my babies were this small,"

"Well…they do seem to grow quickly. He weighed seven pounds three ounces when he was born, and he's gained almost a pound and a half in two weeks!"

The younger woman smiled as little Mattie's eyes opened, his bright baby blues staring her down as if trying to figure something out. "Hello, little one! My goodness - your eyes are a beautiful blue,"

At the sudden attention he smiled wide, his hands wiggling around in the protective mittens as his little wrinkled suit twisted around his excited body. An energized coo coming from his little mouth.

"I can't even imagine having two at once though, that's a little much for me."

"Well, they weren't exactly planned, but I can't think of anything I'd rather have right now. I wouldn't trade one of them for anything." Sydney placed a small kiss to baby Logan's head before Amelie stepped into the conversation, merely saying a few words as she managed to lift Matty up against her chest and walk away, her prize in hand.

Sydney laughed, knowing that the little boy was in good hands as she relinquished her hold of the newborn back to his mother and continued their conversation.

Michael stood on the other side of the room with Will facing out from his hold against his chest, a group of men circling him on each side as they all laughed at some kind of joke. Another man stepped into the group, a chorus of 'hellos', 'glad you could make it', and 'good to see you' echoed around, the older man stepping up to Michael with a wide smile.

It wasn't hard to see the similarities between the two men – their height, the dimpled chins and chiseled features, the stoic green eyes – the elder pulling the younger in a large hug, mindful of the small child in-between.

"Michael…it's especially good to see you, son."

"Uncle Tony, it's been far too long, and for that I'm sorry. Is Char here?" He happily embraced his uncle as Will squeaked trying to get the attention back on himself.

Tony nodded in response to Michael's questions as his eyes drifted down to the little boy in his arms. "Who's tot is this? I've never really known you to steal children at these functions before." Running a large finger over the boys cheek, he looked back up into the guilty eyes of his favorite nephew. His own green orbs widened in shock at he looked between Will and Vaughn, piecing it together.

"Tony, this is my son, William."

"You…you have a child?" He stuttered, seeing his wife approach from the corner of his eye.

"Three, actually. My wife and I adopted a four-year-old and then had twins. Unc, I'm sorry that I…haven't kept in touch."

Michael thought he saw a faint glimmer of tears in his eyes as he stared in wonder at the infant. Will, however, wasn't keyed in to the emotion of the moment and struck up his largest smile followed by a wiggle and a coo as the older man laughed, a single tear escaping.

"He's beautiful, son. Can…can I hold him?"

Michael laughed with a nod, passing the willing baby over to his uncle – a man he thought of as a father after the death of his own. His aunt made it over to him with a perky glare and her hands on her hips.

"Michael Christopher…you didn't tell me you'd gotten married. And now…I have to find out from your mother that you've got children! What's this world coming to when you can't even get your favorite nephew to talk about his own life!"

Despite the scolding she pulled him into her arms, her head hitting the middle of his chest due to her short stature.

"Well…if I could find my wife I'd introduce you."

"We'll find her soon enough…now…where are my grandchildren!"

Michael laughed, "you're going to confuse the hell out of them by referring yourselves as such. Well…Will and Matty won't mind, but Danny will need some explaining. It's great to see you, I'm so glad you could make it in for the wedding."

"Please…we couldn't miss our niece's wedding. Though it's a shame we missed yours."

After catching up, Will being taken by yet another relative as the three of them chatted, Danny walked over after finally finding his father and tugged on the back of his dress pants. Michael turned and smiled down at the little boy before picking him up and turning back to his aunt and uncle.

"This is Danny, our son. You wouldn't happen to know where your mommy is, do you pal?"

"Nope, she's lost. I hope we don't have to find another one," he mumbled, fingering Michael's lapel before whispering something into his ear. "I'm tired and don't feel too good daddy,"

Vaughn frowned and set a hand to his son's forehead, not feeling much of a fever before pulling back and taking the boy's pulse from his wrist. "Here, why don't you just rest here with me and maybe you'll feel better if you relax. You've had a long day, plus cake and soda, as well as getting over a cold. Maybe your body's just grumpy because of all the excitement."

Danny nodded, leaning his pale little head against his father's shoulder before closing his eyes and falling asleep almost instantly.

"He's precious, Michael. But…he has to be five or six. How long have you been married?" Charolette asked, running a small hand over Danny's warm back as Michael held him close.

"Oh…Danny was adopted right before Sydney and I got married, so he's not actually our biological son. But…he's ours in every other sense of the word."

A distant cry was heard through the room, Michael's ears perking up as he recognized the plaintive wail of Matty from across the room. "Geeze…that's my son. I wonder where Sydney is,"

On the opposite side of the room, Sydney cut off her conversation with a gaggle of women as she keyed in on the fact that one of her children was upset. "Is that my baby?" she asked with a grin, hearing another cry that she instantly recognized at little Matty's 'I need to be changed and my ears hurt' cry.

Abandoning the conversation quickly, she followed the source until she came across another group of women, young and old, trying to quell the cries from the upset baby. After bumping into Michael as he also ran to assist his crying son, his movements a bit slow because of the five year old sleeping against his chest, they decided to call it a day and head home. Gathering up the children before Michael went to search out his aunt and uncle, he convinced them to come back to the house for the rest of the evening.

"Well…though we just got here, it wouldn't hurt. Besides…I need to share incriminating stories about your tirades to your beautiful wife." Tony turned his wife away quickly, winking over at the couple as they walked out, promising to join the family back at Trish's home in a hour.

"It was a beautiful wedding, wasn't it?" Sydney asked, settling the two sleeping twins onto their bed before moving to a small dresser to find them each a pair of pajamas. Danny had woken up half way home and was currently coloring in a book on the floor, his mother stepping over his small frame as she began to dress the babies for bed time.

"Danny, could you go get ready for bed please?"

He stood slowly, his small hand rubbing his chest after lying on it on the solid floor. He let out a small cough before walking slowly out of the bedroom and into his own to get ready.

"He seem off to you?" Michael asked as he pulled of his button up shirt and tossed it into their suitcase where the dirty laundry was being stored.

"I think he just pushed a bit too much after his cold. I mean…his immune system isn't too great, we just over did it. I'm sure he'll be ready for snowball fights and wrestling with the dog by tomorrow at the latest."

"Syd…do you ever wish that we had a big wedding like my cousin's?"

She stopped after buttoning up the footy pj's Matty was sporting as Michael tossed his undershirt into the growing pile and picked up Will to do the same. "No…I really don't. I loved our wedding and can't really imagine it going any different…it was – it was perfect." She pressed a kiss to his smile before picking up her son and settling him in for a late feeding after talking with Tony and Charolette through his usual every-two-hour meal.

Even in the throes of sleep, the little boy knew instantly what was happening, and before Sydney could even get her shirt unbuttoned and bra unhooked his mouth was nuzzling her breast. Feeding both hungry babies, they decided to call it a night before changing and climbing into bed.

Sydney was drifting between the land of the living and the blissful realms of sleep when she felt Michael's hand rub down her side and gently cup her rear on one side, his nose nuzzling into her neck as she smile lazily.

"I was half asleep you know."

"Oh...I know. You do this cute little, half-snore thing before mumbling something obscure."

She laughed and rolled, her nose pressing against his cheek momentarily as she wrapped her arms around him. "I'm entirely too sleepy for this to go anywhere. But...if I fall asleep do with me as you please."

Michael chuckled as his tongue jumped out and licked at the sensitive spot of skin underneath her earlobe, his mouth leaving a trail of kisses in its wake. "I'm not really looking for much...maybe just some make-out before bed."

"What are we...teenagers?"

"Maybe,"

"Michael...sleep. We have to fly back in two days...and I'd like to get sleep before taking a cranky baby with an ear infection on a seventeen hour flight."

He continued his gentle ministrations as she sighed and sank into the warmth of his embrace. His mouth traced the column of her throat with soft nips and licks, his hands rubbing at the sore muscles of her mid and lower back. His kisses turned to nuzzles before his body tossed in the towel and drifted off to sleep with his nose buried in her hair and her's pressing against his throat. Their bodies were a tangled mass of arms and legs as the couple fell into a deep and comfortable sleep.

Later that night, Sydney woke to a sob from her right, her eyes instantly opening to see her eldest son standing in front of her with tear-stained cheeks. "Danny baby, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

He shook his head, his breath coming out in short pants as he tried to stop from crying enough to tell her what was the matter.

"My chest...has an owie."

The single sentence wiped the remaining sleep from her body as she swung her legs out from the bed and woke her husband with a shake.

"Where does it hurt baby, you need to tell mommy. On the outside or on the inside?" Lifting him gently into her arms and cradling him against her chest, she felt his little shrug as Vaughn flipped on the lamp on the night stand beside her before kneeling down in front of the pair with concern shining in his eyes.

"Bofe," he whispered, a harsh cough tearing from his throat as a sudden wave of pain tore through him. He let out a cry and wrapped his small arms around Sydney 's neck, desperately seeking comfort as a strange heat filled his ribcage.

"I'll go wake my mother and have her watch the twins, you get him ready to go to the hospital."

Hearing the "H word", his crying intensified, his hands untangling from his mother's neck to grab and bunch his thin t-shirt at the front.

"Shh...shh baby, try not to cry okay? We'll get you all fixed, I promise."

Fear flooded her soul as she watched helplessly as her little boy rubbed and tugged at his shirt to try and alleviate the intense pain beneath it, his back pushing harshly against her chest as his near-screams filled the room and the adjoining hallway. The twins woke instantly, the two infants beginning to whimper at the sudden, abrasive sounds echoing through the air.

There was quickly half-a-dozen people standing in the hallway with concerned and shocked faces, Michael and his mother pushing through as he noticed that his wife hadn't moved. Gathering a small bag and shoving several articles of clothing into it for he and Sydney, he darted through the small crowd to Danny's room and did the same with some of his things, grabbing his small bag of dinosaurs in hopes that their visit would warrant some time for play.

'Please, God...please don't let it be his cancer. Please...I'll...I'll do anything,' he thought, his face showing determination and love rather than the terrified emotions raging below the surface.

"He...he was coughing earlier...should we have b-been worried?" Sydney 's voice was shaking, though she was holding the majority of her fear at bay. "I should have...I should have been worried...God," the tears she was trying desperately to hold at bay were unleashed, Michael taking the thrashing little boy from her arms, Amelie moving forward and pulling her from the room.

"I'll...I'll get him ready, Sydney, just...wait in the hallway for me. Somebody call an ambulance!" Someone jumped to obey, running down the steps to the phone in the entry-way below.

The group of people at the door knew better than to ask questions to the distraught mother as she pulled from Amelie's grasp and began pacing the at the end of the hallway. Her hands framed her face, and though she made no attempt to wipe the tears from her cheeks, she did close her eyes and slumped against the wall with a sob, her hand vainly trying to cover her strangled cries as another scream came from her baby in the room she'd just left. Aunt Trish knelt beside her, offering no words to console her, only setting a comforting hand to her shoulder and rubbing back and forth slowly.

In the bedroom, Michael was trying desperately to remember his field medic training from CST at the Farm. _'Assess the situation.'_ A calm voice inside his head ordered, Michael wanting to scream at himself for thinking such a thought.

'The situation is f-cked.'

_'Ascertain if the victim can or should be moved.'_

'The victim is my son, not a mannequin.'

_'Look for wounds, abrasions, open lacerations, or punctures to vital organ areas.'_

'Like his lungs...or a tumor that could be regrowing.'

As a war was raging inside his head, his training kicking in and made a small victory over his parental instinct to protect his child. He sat Danny up slowly, the boys crying mixing with coughing - which was seeming to make matters worse - and removed his shirt. To the left of the scar over his sternum, two strange lumps were poking up underneath the skin. With each ragged breath they moved, and with each strangled cough they seemed to protrude a bit more.

"Oh, God...he's broken his ribs." His harsh voice was nearly silent compared to the screams of his eldest son and the wailing of his twins. He heard the sirens as they approached the house, and a flurry of activity followed. His training seemed to have left as he sat and just stared at the odd lumps that were marring his little boy's chest. The paramedic's were a blur, his mind becoming muddy as they pushed him away gently. He dimly remembered his mother tugging at his shoulder, both crying babies against her shoulders as she tried to have him move into the hallway to grant the paramedic's room to work.

They lifted him up onto a cot after pulling it up, the wheels popping out and landing with a thud against the hardwood floor. The slight jostling forced him to cough once again, reaching for his chest. His hands were intercepted as the hanging harness-like restraints were used on his wrists.

'I don't know what to do,' He thought in a panic. 'I don't...'

"-know what to do...I...I don't - don't know what to do," his mantra began as they wheeled the five-year old from the room and into the hallway - down the steps and to the ambulance.  
"Michael...my boy...please. Your family needs you; cherie, please." His mother's voice began to break through his trance, the pain beginning to sift into his heart that something was very wrong with his son.

' Sydney; where is Sydney ,'

"Where's my wife?" The mere thought of her brought his focus back, remembering that she'd left the room in a shocked panic. Making his way into the hallway, his pace achingly slow, he saw her crumpled on the floor in the corner, her hand over her mouth and nose as she tried to conceal her crying from the people around her. He dropped to his knees in front of her, her eyes connecting with his own as she slumped forward against his chest with a cry.

Vaughn was completely silent, wrapping his arms around her shaking shoulders as he opened and closed his mouth several times.

The words just weren't there.

(Sydney POV)

Just this once, I wish I was alone. Just...sitting in a dark room to let my thoughts consume me. Michael, I know, won't let that happen...but still. My guilt over this whole mess won't go away. How could I not have paid attention when he got sick? And started coughing?

We've been too complacent. We've just about forgotten that he's got cancer. I mean...all of his tests have been better...which is good...but it's not well - it's...not cured. Dr. Green at Children's is so good to him...I wish he was here right now. I wish I was actually in their familiar halls rather than this stoic, white, purged room. I want the colorful walls...the balloons and stuffed toys everywhere.

The little red wagons instead of gaudy wheelchairs.

I want my little boy to be okay.

Michael said that...that he saw Danny's ribs were broken...I...I just can't understand how. The only thought would be that the cancer is in his bones, making them brittle and susceptible to fractures. I...remember something that Dr. Green said about that...osteo-something. Sacro...snar...sar - oh screw it. Osteo-something.

Bone cancer. God...my poor little baby.

(Michael POV)

I see her sitting there - blaming herself.

Thinking, 'why didn't I pay closer attention?' or 'why didn't I notice this..or that'. It's not her fault. Unfortunately...I guess I'm thinking the same damn thing. I called Eric and Nadia and had them get a hold of Dr. Green...but there really wasn't too much that he could say over the phone.

_"Once he's stable...bring him home. I'll get this all taken care of."_

And that was it. _"I'll get this all taken care of."_ That man makes us feel so safe.

Here...I'm not so sure. I mean...I'm positive that they have wonderful doctors here, but it's just not home. It's not our doctors...it's not Danny's doctor. These people don't know him...they don't know how funny he is, or how he takes care of his little brothers…they don't know any of that, only that he's a patient – a number.

Damnit...his lungs were getting so strong! What's happening? We've done everything we could! Everything to get him back to normal! We did it all right...why is it all going wrong?

(No POV)

Michael slipped his hand into Sydney 's, her body jumping at the sudden contact so deep was she in her thoughts. Offering her a smile of apology as well as one of support he pressed a kiss to her temple before his eyes scanned the room up to the bleak clock hanging on the wall.

"It's been four hours...they have to have found _something _by now." Muttering, not quite realizing that he'd spoken aloud, he felt his mother flop down by her side with little Matty against her chest.

"Dearie...I'd rather have it take a long time so they get it right rather than do a quick and dirty job of it."

Spoken with true wisdom Vaughn nodded, his free hand reaching out and rubbing his tiniest son's back lovingly as the doors to the surgery ward opened at the push of a button. A young man, possibly around Vaughn's age, stepped into the waiting room, not bothering to hide the blood stains on his scrubs as he approached the large party.

"Are...are you all here for Daniel Vaughn?"

Sydney and Michael stood up and moved closer, her hand gripping his tighter with each step.

"We're his parents. Could...would...how is he?"

"He's...stable." His thick French accent permeated his words, the punctuation on stable making them each frown.

"What does that mean?"

The doctor sighed, seeing the many eyes of the relatives around the room studying him with straining eyes and ears. "Daniel has a rare type of bone cancer called Osteosarcoma. I was very surprised to see it in one so young seeing as only about 5% of Osteosarcoma sufferers are children under ten years old."

"So...what does this mean for him? What is Osteosarcoma?" Sydney was quickly being reminded of another reason why she liked Children's Hospital - the doctors break down their diagnoses for those that don't speak doctor.

"It's the growth of tumors inside, outside, or around long or flat bones. It's most often seen in boys twelve to fourteen during their pubescent growth spurt, mainly in the long bones of the leg or arm. But...like in Daniel's case, it's in his ribs. The fax that we got before the surgery from his hospital in the states says that he had a tumor on his left lung last September, correct?"

"Yes," Michael could barely squeeze the word out as his heart constricted.

"Was it malignant or benign?"

"Umm...non-cancerous...benign."

"That's good. This is basically what happened. Several small tumors were growing in his third and fourth ribs on the left side. Each tumor was about three centimeters across and made out of cells that create bone matrix. Unfortunately, they produced it in far too high amounts, creating the tumors - and in so doing - making the bones more likely to fracture - er...very brittle. In our blood tests it shows that he's on the recovering end of a cold, and what we believe happened was that a cough jarred his ribcage enough for the ribs to actually break at the point of the tumor in each bone."

Sydney tried to catch her breath, Michael forcing her to sit in a chair as the doctor moved with them.

"I am sorry to be giving you this news...but there is nothing more we can do for him here. This hospital is not equipped to deal with your son's needs. We opened his chest and fixed his ribs, also checking for any other tumors growing on his lungs. They are both clean, though a CAT scan has been ordered followed by an MRI. The tumors were removed and the ribs were bolted back into place."

"What...what do we do if we can't stay here?"

"Oh…I may have miss-spoke. You are more than welcome to stay here, of course, but for anything further concerning his surgery, treatments, etcetera, I'd rather not trump anything your own care-provider can give him in a less adult oriented hospital. We'll give him two to three days to recover from this procedure, and get him home to your Children's Hospital. Their equipment is perfectly designed for invasive procedures with small children."

Sydney nodded, her head falling into her hands.

"I must be quite honest with you...these first twenty-four hours are precious. His immune system is low and the first thing we need to do is to try and ward off infection in his chest cavity. Fearing that we may need to go back in - in case of an emergency only - we stapled his chest together and sealed it with an adhesive rather than sew it, so it may be hard to look at him, but it's best for him if we need to go back in. Again…just in case of emergency."

"What...what are his chances that he'll get an infection in his chest? Or…or that the tumors will be…malignant?" Michael asked two of the million or so questions that were weighing on both parents hearts, knowing that getting him to Dr. Green would be the most difficult part of the journey.

The surgeon sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes before speaking frankly. "His chances right now are in the high 70 to 80 percentile for recovery from the removal of the tumors from his ribs, as well as the surgery, but we put a rush on the laboratory to analyze the tumor material and see if it is benign or malignant."

"And if it comes back a cancerous?"

"With the tumors growing where blood cells are being created, it could have already spread through his bloodstream into vital organs; the heart, lungs, liver, even the brain. There's also a high risk of the muscles and soft tissues around the bones being affected by the tumors as well, malignant or benign...we'll just have to wait and see what the lab results tell us. As for right now, I'm classifying your son as having a high-grade osteosarcoma because of the many things that can go wrong if the tumors are malignant."

"Can we see him?"

The doctor nodded avidly, saying that they'd just moved him into a solitary section of the ICU ward. Thankfully, because they hadn't needed to breach either of his lungs, a breathing tube wasn't inserted and the common nasal oxygen device was being used underneath his nose to give him an extra supply to his body.

"Why do we have to do this again?" she sobbed, staying near the entrance of the room to keep her son from hearing her scared words.

Michael pulled her against his chest, his own throat tightening at the sight of his little boy hooked up to life-saving machines once more. "We...forget sometimes that he's not a normal kid; that he's special. He'll be okay Syd...it's just three steps forward and one step back."

"But he was getting stronger! He was doing so well! This isn't fair."

Her husband merely nodded in agreement before pulling his semi-reluctant wife to their son's bedside.

"I mean...what do we do now?"

"We wait, sweetie. We just...we wait."

A/N: I love all of you who stuck it out and are still with me, seeing as I've been gone for like YEARS! Jeesh...we hit 16 pages for this one...we're gettin' Jean-long! Oh...and the little story of Danny offering the rings up at the wedding comes from something my little brother did when he was the ring-bearer at my friends wedding. Hilarious.

-Jeanie


	6. Chapter 6: The Long Road to Recovery

A/N: Hooray for a new chapter! And I managed to finish this one in only one week, so go me. Anywho, hopefully I'll be having some more time for writing and actually be able to finish up some of the stories I've got in my head. TRNT, TBON, WIf, etc. LOVE YOU ALL! Let me know if you're all still alive.

Chapter 6: The Long Road to Recovery

"Sydney? What on earth are you doing up? You're supposed to be on a plane in four hours." Amelie scolded from the stairway as she spotted the young woman seated in the picture window, much as she had taken refuge there the night she'd learned about her husbands fate.

Sydney turned slowly at the motherly voice with a timid smile, tears bathing her cheeks. "I'm just…really lost I guess."

The older mother nodded, setting some water on the stove and turning up the burner for some tea. "Chamomile?"

Nodding as she crawled out of the nook, she took a seat at the table with a yawn. "I have a question for you."

"Ask away, child."

The kitchen was filled with silence for a few moment as Sydney gathered her thoughts carefully before speaking. "If you had the opportunity to do something good for some one in need, and did, but it didn't turn out the way you planned, would you stick to it?"

"Of course. How specific are we going to get here, Sydney?"

"Like adopting a child with a severe case of cancer."

Once again, the room was engulfed in silence as the torch was passed to Amelie to choose her words carefully. "Do you regret a decision you've made, Sydney?"

Opening her mouth, no sound came out as she closed it once more and raised her shoulders. "I…I've always been stubborn, which I know Vaughn doesn't appreciate, but maybe adopting Danny was something I should have – I don't know – thought about more carefully? I ask myself all the time if I did the right thing."

"I believe you did the right thing. You cared for a child that no one else would have desired. You took a heavy load onto your shoulders to make sure that Danny would be able to get the best care possible – care that he possibly wouldn't have if it weren't because of you."

Sydney nodded slowly. "Most of this is probably because I'm so tired, but I needed to hear that. I love Danny, I know I do, but I can't help but think of the life Michael and I could have without having this constant threat to our family. This…dread that lives in my heart from day to day knowing that if it comes down to it, I might have to bury my son."

"But think of the life you and Michael would have _without _Daniel. Would you have married? Would you still be with the CIA? Would you even have Matty and Will? There are so many good things that have happened to the two of you _because _of that amazing little boy."

Amelie stood and poured the hot water into two cups before grabbing the tea and honey, setting the items on the table.

"Don't give up on him, Sydney, he needs you. Now more than ever. And…if the day comes where his body can't cope with the cancer any longer, you'll be glad to have known him as long as you did."

"I just…I'm scared that I'm not strong enough to see him waste away. I mean…what if…he does die from this disease? How can I sit and watch him just…die? I'm not strong enough to do that."

"Come now, you have to be the strongest person I know. You've faced worse things in your life than this, I'm sure. Firing squads, murder, Jack Bristow."

Sydney laughed out a sob, wiping her eyes and nose with a kleenex.

"Oh yes, Sydney, I knew your father quite well. Though…I have to say I was more close to your mother."

As soon as the laughter had finally entered the room, it vanished.

"You…you knew my _mother_?"

Amelie stared down at her cup with a sad, reminiscent smile. "Jack and Laura would often come by for an afternoon luncheon so the men could talk about work or an upcoming mission. Laura and I would prepare the food and have…well, have a wonderful time. That was until the Bristow's moved to Los Angeles and we stayed in Virginia. Even you and little Michael would play in the backyard together on the large tire swing than hung from the cottonwood tree."

At the mention of herself as a child, Sydney tried to soak in the information Vaughn's mother was sharing. "Why didn't you ever tell us this?"

"Well, best to leave well enough alone. I knew when you were three and he was four that you'd end up together. You always had the connection, even when you were children. You seemed…drawn to each other."

"Why don't I remember any of this? Or Vaughn?"

"Well, we did a year of barbeques before you moved to L.A., and soon after that your mother died – supposedly. I'm sure that anything before that is a blur, including your time spent in our home in Virginia. After Michael's father died I believe he blocked out a few memories as well. Jack flew out to give his condolences and see how we were doing. He knew how hard it was for a child to lose a parent after seeing you lose your mother; he just wanted to know if we needed anything."

_'He did have a heart back then.'_ Sydney mused, staring at her full mug of tea in shock.

"I can't believe all of this. Gah, I wish I could remember." Rubbing her hand into her forehead with a grumble, Amelie laughed.

"Speaking of Jack…how is he. Still in Los Angeles I imagine? Is he still with the Agency? He always was an extremely patriotic and strong man. Both of them were."

_'Sh-t.'_

"Oh…my…my dad died. Last year he was on a mission and was exposed to severe radiation. After being diagnosed with radiation poisoning he – he died." _'Because of me.'  
_

Amelie's face turned from inquisitive to sad as tears filled her eyes. "He was a good man. I'm sorry for your loss, sweetheart."

Pulling the young woman into a hug, they sat embraced in the kitchen for what felt like forever, a voice pulling them away reluctantly.

"Women hugging in the kitchen…this can't be good." Michael strode in with Will against his chest, pressing a kiss to the top of each head before taking a seat across from the two emotional women. "What's up? Why aren't the two of you in bed?"

"Just talking," Sydney smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. Before her husband had a chance to comment, she piped up. "Did you know we knew each other as kids?"

"What? No way. When was this and why don't I remember?"

Amelie explained, finishing her tea and leaving the two at the table with a kiss to each cheek and a loving smile.

"Spill it, what's wrong." Michael's façade washed away instantly as soon as mother left the room. "Come on, don't compartmentalize around me. Tell me what's eating you, you've been odd all day."

"I've just got a lot on my mind, okay? I talked with your mother about it and she helped me. I…I just needed a mom to talk to."

"You can't talk to me?"

Sydney sighed, realizing they would probably end up getting into another petty argument, happening more and more often since Danny had been admitted to the hospital two days ago.

"Vaughn, of course I can talk to you. I'm just going through a lot right now and I wanted motherly advice. You're not a mom, you couldn't help me this time. Please don't push me, okay? Just…let it go."

Michael chose not to answer, looking down at his son instead, blue-green eyes unwavering as they stared up at his father. "It's been hard on me too, Syd, and even harder when you close yourself off. Don't do this Sydney, we've been through too much for you to stop trusting me."

"God, stop it! This isn't about _you _Michael! _I've _been having doubts about Danny and I needed reassurance, okay?"

"What doubts? Like regrets?"

"Yes, like regrets. Like how our lives would be so much easier without a sick kid. It's wrong, I know, and don't look at me like that. Haven't you ever thought the same thing?"

"No! Danny is my **son**! Never once have I thought of giving him up!"

"See why I went to your mother about this? You're too close, Michael, I couldn't have mentioned my doubts about Danny's adoption without you judging me. I just wanted one conversation about Danny without the guilt and the judgment."

Michael's jaw hung open as his grip on Will tightened. "So you'd just throw him away-"

"I didn't say that."

"-toss him out like garbage?"

**"Stop it**. I didn't _say _that. I _love _him, and you know it. I'm just so tired of everything going wrong! I wanted to have an easier life away from the CIA, and it seems like I've just traded one giant problem for another."

"Danny isn't a _problem_, Sydney, he is the only reason we're here right now. Life _isn't __**easy**_. No matter who we are or who we pretend to be, it's not and you know it. Deal with it, goddammit. Don't you bring our family into this. I'd love to hear Danny's doctors say that he's cured…that he'll be fine. But until then…we're in hell Syd and we have no way out. Don't walk away when things get tough, I thought you were better than that."

"Well maybe I'm not!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stood and picked up the empty cup, throwing it across the room. The shattering noise ended the heated conversation as Michael looked at his wife with wide, shocked eyes.

"Maybe I don't want to be the person that every one thinks I am! I'm sick…sick and tired of being the strong Sydney Bristow. Why can't _I_ feel bad, huh? Why can't _I_ have doubts…and – and guilt? Why not _**me**_?"

She paused, sobs catching in her throat as she forced out her anger and sadness in a softer voice. "I don't want to be perfect and I don't want to pretend. What happens if Danny's doctors say there's nothing they can do and that he'll die? How strong do we have to be then? Am I allowed to cry if I have to put his…his little body in a hole in the ground?"

Her voice broke at the thought, the last sentence delicate as crystal as she turned and walked from the kitchen, throwing off Michael's hand as he touched her arm.

"Syd…wait, please don't-" his words stopped as the front door slammed and he was left with a heavy heart in the kitchen and a knot in his throat.

_"Mikle, tag!"_

"No, Sneenee, I play trucks."

"No tag?"

"No, no tag."

The three year old pouted and toddled off to her mother as she sat with Amelie on the patio. Climbing up into Laura's lap, she crossed her tiny arms over her chest and huffed.

"I take it there's something wrong, my sweet." Sydney nodded at her mother's words, Laura merely wrapping an arm around her daughter and rocking her back and forth.

"Mikle play grucks."

"Well, my son is very fond of trucks, why don't you play with him. Perhaps he'll play with you if you first play with him."

"Play wiff me first."

"Ah yes, the wonderful Bristow stubborn streak. Isn't it adorable?"

The parents talked as Sydney fell asleep against her mother's chest, Michael soon snoozing in the grass before Amelie picked him up. Deciding to lay them in the guest bedroom, Jack and William emerged from the den with two raucous laughter following.

"Don't you wake these two up. Sweetheart, could you go and get Sydney's things?"

Jack nodded, pressing a kiss to his sleeping toddler's forehead before making his way outside to grab her small suitcase. With Jack and William leaving for Brazil in the morning, and Laura having to visit sick family back in Russia, Amelie was going to be caring for both children that weekend.

Settling both youngsters in the bed it was two hours until the parents were startled by a cry from the bedroom. Laura made her way up the stairs, instantly recognizing Sydney's wail as Amelie followed.

Opening the door slowly, they heard the cries begin to subside as they peered at the children on the bed. Michael sat with Sydney filling his lap, his lanky arms around her shoulders as he rubbed her back. Whispering soft, soothing words to the frightened child, the four-year-old pressed a kiss to her cheek, much as his own mother did to him when he was crying.

"Son, what happened?" Amelie spoke, though she didn't want to disturb the scene.

Sydney pulled her thumb from her mouth long enough to utter, "bad dweem," before it made its way back between her lips. Laura reached out for her daughter, Sydney shying away and cuddling farther into Michael's embrace.

"You'd rather stay there? We're going to have ice cream,"

At the mention of ice cream, all bad dreams were forgotten. Both children scampered up and ran from the room with a hooray, Laura and Amelie looking at each other with knowing smiles.

"You have a sweet boy." Laura commented, a small hint of sadness in her voice as she watched the two squabble over which one got the green bowl of ice cream.

"Who knows, maybe they'll just get married and we'll not have any grey hair when they're teenagers."

Both laughed at the joke as they joined the rest of the group out on the patio once more.

After placing his son back into the crib with his brother, Michael grabbed two coats and Sydney's pair of fuzzy boots and headed out to find his missing wife. Someone needed to apologize, though he still wasn't sure whom.

He traveled the front porch, not finding her. Visiting the gazebo, he looked around but she wasn't there either. Finally spotting her sitting atop the sledding hill, the bench barely visible against the background of trees and snow, he slowly marched up the hill.

Standing in front of her trembling figure, whether it was from the cold or her emotions he wasn't quite sure, but he wrapped her jacket around her shoulders anyway. Kneeling before her and taking her cold, stocking feet into his hands, he rubbed each of them with his fingers before slipping them into her boots. He moved and sat beside her, hoping she wouldn't pull away from him.

The minutes ticked by, Sydney snuggling down into her coat as she kept to her side of the bench.

_'All through everything she's been so strong, why did she break now?'_

"You're probably wondering why I chose this time to snap, huh?"

Michael couldn't hold back a smile as she echoed his thoughts perfectly. With a slight nod he scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, tugging her to his side.

"I just…it never seems be completely good. Life." She wiped her nose on the sleeve of her jacket, sniffling into the frosty, clear air. "First it was my mother dieing that changed everything, and then my father all but abandoning me to Sloane. After that it got better, but I didn't even know who I was. I…I wasn't something that I should have been proud of, yet at the same time, I was. And then came the treachery…the double agent work…and things got even worse. But…there you were. My guardian angel."

She paused as a fresh wave of tears washed down her cheeks.

"But even though…you were mine – I still lost you. I watched you walk away and couldn't do anything. That…_that_ was hell. Being tortured for over six months by the Covenant…_that _was hell. But this doesn't even compare to that Michael, this is the farthest I've ever been away from my own soul. I pray, every day, that he'll be fine. He'll be…taken care of-"

"-but God doesn't _listen_. He's…He's not even **there**. He's _**never**_ been there."

"You can't honestly believe that, sweetie. I mean…I know we're not religious people, baby, but think of all the good that we've done. Not for the world, not for our country, but for each other." He turned her toward him, cupping her cheeks with his chilled hands and wiping away her tears with his thumbs.

"After you left me in the house, I started thinking. I remembered this time when I was a little boy. I – I don't remember all of it, but I know that you were crying and I was holding you, telling you that it'd be okay. Syd, even when I was a kid you meant the world to me, and I will do anything to make you happy. Anything to stop you from being sad."

"But you can't Michael," she sobbed, bowing her head and removing her face from his hands. "This isn't just something you can fix. I _have _to be sad right now. I _have _to question the future and think about all of the 'what ifs' and 'how comes'. I'll go crazy if I don't. I've kept it all locked up and I can't hold it in any longer."

Falling into his chest, her arms clinging to his shoulders, she cried into his coat. He couldn't do a thing but hold her against him, his grip tight as if reassuring himself that she was truly in front of him.

Vaughn hated feeling helpless, and right now he was akin to a newborn kitten – completely blind and reliant on…someone. Anyone.

After she'd exhausted herself against his sturdy frame, her shoulders bouncing with each hiccup, she pushed up and away before wrapping her arms around her stomach.

_  
'Classic Sydney defense mechanism.'_

"Baby, let's go inside. We'll warm up and we don't even have to talk. I've been a jerk the last two days, pushing you and starting fights, and I'm sorry. Let's…let's just get you taken care of for tonight and we'll worry about tomorrow later."

A reluctant nod filled him with hope as she let him pull her back to the house. Kicking their boots off in the foyer and hanging their jackets up, they retreated to the solace of their room.

"You get undressed, I'll run a bath for you, okay?"

With another numb nod, her eyes staying unfocused as she stayed deep in thought, Vaughn ran to the bathroom and started the tub.

Giving it a second thought, he didn't care much who was upset. After two days of bickering and being overly worried about Danny, he and his wife were finally on good terms. _'Well…good enough terms.'  
_

He made his way back to the bedroom, seeing her still sitting on the edge of the bed. Slowly walking to her side, he tugged her arm up and helped her remove her shirt. Her hands were cold, as were her arms, so he hurried through the process of undressing and hoisted her up into his arms.

Marching to the bathroom, he deposited her into the warm water of the bathtub carefully, a sigh escaping her lips as she leaned back against the rim.

"Am I a bad mother?"

Her voice was almost a whisper, but the thought still brought tears to Michael's eyes. Kneeling beside the bath, he ran a hand over her disheveled head.

"No, honey, no. You are a _wonderful _mother. It's okay to be confused! It's fine that you're upset, but don't ever doubt that you're a wonderful mother. Please don't think that about yourself, baby."

Sydney turned away from him and stared at the ceiling, her eyes spilling over with tears. "But I wanted to give him away."

"No you didn't. You told me you didn't. You just said you were wondering if we made the right decision by adopting a sick little boy. You **love **him, Sydney, you would **never **give that boy up. You know that, and I know that, and I'm very proud of you, honey. You had the guts to say it. I have thought that adopting Danny could have been a mistake…but it always disappears when he looks at me with those big green eyes and calls me 'daddy'."

"I don't want to give him away," she mumbled, her eyes drifting shut against the warm slosh of the bath water. "I…promise that I want him with us forever." Her words became less coherent as she fell asleep in the warmth of the water.

Trying his best to keep from waking her he drained the water and lifted her up and into a fluffy towel. Moving her to the bed and not bothering with pajamas, he tucked her in before stripping and joining her quietly. Setting the alarm for two hours from then, he hoped they had enough sleep to endure a 17 hour flight with a baby with an ear infection and a sedated five-year-old in a makeshift hospital bed.

The flight was semi private, only half a dozen people other than the small family. _'We're lucky that Uncle Luke had contact with the FAA.'_

By the time the alarm went off, Michael was still awake watching his wife. She hadn't slept well, mumbling in her sleep and for once in her life making sense. She apologized to Danny, to him, and to her father constantly through her tossing and turning. Deciding to let her take an extra hour, he got up and dressed slowly. A squeak from the bassinet made him smile despite the myriad of thought engulfing his mind, and he peeked into the crib to see two sets of large eyes staring back up at him. As soon as he'd looked in on the boys, they chose the same time to smile at their father.

"Come on, let's get dressed. We'll let mommy sleep for a little while longer, okay?"

An hour later as Michael held a bottle of pumped milk to Matty's lips – the infant rejecting the rubber nipple with a grunt and a wail – he was saved as Sydney walked into the kitchen.

"Why don't you do this, I think he just needs his mommy right now."

Sydney nodded with a timid smile, though it again didn't reach her troubled eyes, but she took the baby anyway and kissed his tiny forehead before turning to the living room without so much as another look at her husband.

Vaughn sighed but didn't press the matter as his cell phone rang. Luckily it was the hospital, and they were finally able to load up and get going to meet the ambulance at the airport.

"This is going to be a _long _day."

* * *

A/N: Well well, what do we have here. A plot twist! YAY! One of the many I have in store for you all, so be prepared for those to start flying in. GO TEAM!

-Jeanie


	7. Chapter 7: One Step Forward

A/N: Howdy all! I'm getting back into my fics, slowly but surely. Anywho, enjoy! We're going to skip around a little bit in this chapter, just a warning.

Chapter 7: One Step Forward…

Sydney closed her eyes, trying desperately to shut out the pitiful stares the six or so passengers were giving the sick little boy strapped to his cot with the beeping hospital equipment secured around his bedside. He'd woken up only once, and only long enough to ask for his mommy and daddy before the drugs in his system swept him back to la-la land.

She felt Michel shift in his seat as he checked on the twins, the medicine the doctors had given Matty making him sleep through the first five hours of the flight. _'Maybe it'll last and he'll finally get some good rest,'_ she thought, her husband returning forward and once again trying to get himself back into his sports magazine.

The flight was almost silent; not just from the other passengers keeping quiet because of the sick little boy, or the sleeping children, but Sydney hadn't spoken a word to Michael since that morning when she'd ironically assured him that she was feeling better.  
_  
'Maybe she'll feel better when we get home and see Nadia and Weiss.'_

Two more hours of silence reigned until Matty woke whimpering and rubbing at his ears. The nurse that accompanied them reached into her medical bag for more of the infant Tylenol, asking permission in French to give it to the baby. The parents agreed, and after he managed to choke down the pink, sticky substance, Michael cradled him in his arms.

"He's been quiet," he stated, the bright blue eyes of the baby focusing on his father.

"Yeah."

"Probably the medicine, maybe we should ask Dr. Green if it he can prescribe something for him."

"Sure," she sighed, leaving the impression that she'd rather be lost in her own thoughts than have a seemingly one-sided conversation at the moment.

To her surprise, he agreed by not answering, and managed to get Matty back to sleep before drifting off himself.

With a jolt, the plane finally landed. As tired as they were, the parents knew that their day was far from over as the lights of an ambulance blinked on the tarmac. To their relief, and ultimate surprise, Dr. Greene was waiting for them as the paramedics and their in-flight nurse helped wheel the unconscious little boy off of the plane and into the ambulance.

"How was your vacation? Other than the obvious of course," he smiled, shaking Michael's free hand as he swapped the joint baby carrier to his other arm.

"It was great. Too bad we had to end it on a bad note."

"Well, not to worry. He's home now, and you know I'll take care of him, he's one of my favorites. Are you two accompanying him to the hospital?"

Though Michael was about to answer 'yes', Sydney shook her head with a fake smile. "We should get the twins home and pick the dog and our luggage up from baggage and animal claim. We can come by later tonight though,"

With a smile and a warm hand to each parents shoulder, Dr. Greene jumped into the ambulance as they flipped on the lights and pulled away from the weary couple. After gathering the luggage and the dog, they walked to the entrance intending on getting a cab when they spotted Weiss and Nadia standing at the curb in their suburban.

"Need a lift?"

* * *

"Michael? Are you awake?" Sydney whispered, the soft down of the bed shifting and moving as he rolled over to face his wife. She peeked at the bedside clock, seeing 3:47AM in bright red lights before it was obscured by Vaughn's shoulder.

"Do you think that there would be a shrink in the area with enough clearance to listen to my problems?"

This was the first time she'd actually admitted to needing help. "I'm sure there's one that we can find. Maybe we can call Barnett and see if she knows anyone out here."

"Yeah," her voice was quiet – tired. He could clearly recognize the weariness on her face through the dim light of their moonlit bedroom.

"C'mere," he whispered, tugging her against his chest as her head automatically found its way to his shoulder, her nose snuggling up against his throat.

"I just don't know what's wrong with me. I…love him so much."

Vaughn sighed and pressed a kiss to her temple, "I know you do baby, but you've always been so good at compartmentalizing situations when they got too hard. You'd never compartmentalize your son, I know that, but it's something that was pounded into us. We're good at it. I think it's all just caught up to you and right now you're unable to get rid of whatever demons you're trying to get rid of."

He felt her nod against his shoulder, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes and wetting his shoulder. Her breathing evened out, though Michael was himself unable to find sleep. It had only been a week since their return, each of them taking turns watching the twins while the other stayed at Danny's side, and yet each night ended with him staring up at the dark ceiling unable to sleep.

Extracting himself easily from the bed, his wife dead to the world as the weight of the last few days finally became too much for her, he rose. Picking up a pair of pajama pants from the chair across the room he slid into them before entering the hallway, closing the door silently behind him.

The walls were illuminated by a soft yellow hue, the nightlight low enough to not disturb anyone as they slept and yet bright enough for their five-year old to traverse the distance between his bedroom and the bathroom without incident.

Why it was on at that moment though, he couldn't remember. _'Habit, I suppose,'_ he thought, reaching down to switch it off. His fingers stopped short of the button, the soothing light casting away the shadows of the doorways, and he couldn't bring himself to turn it off. Michael's focus was pulled toward Danny's room, his hand pushing at the nearly closed door, opening it slowly and quietly.

A growl rumbled from the black interior, Vaughn reaching in and flipping on the small lamp. Denver lay on Danny's bed as his ears perked up at the sight of his master. He rarely left the room these days, especially at night. It seemed that he decided to protect all that was the little boys until he returned. Whimpering a bit as Michael sat down on the soft cushion, the boxer set his large head on Vaughn's legs.

"I miss him too, buddy." Scratching lightly behind the dog's floppy ears, he looked around the room with a wistful expression. He could almost see Danny lounging in the middle of the floor playing with his toys; he could almost hear the little boys laughing voice as he hid in the hamper during a game of hide and seek – eventually falling asleep on the soft clothes and causing his parents to panic until his discovery.

Falling back, his head resting on Denver's stomach, he lifted the little pillow up and pulled it tight to his chest. His eyes began to droop, the room fading slowly as he finally fell asleep.

***

Soft hands brought him back, light streaming into the room as his eyes, feeling like the lids were made of sandpaper, struggled to open.

Sydney sat on the edge of the bed beside him, fingers running through his hair in a quiet, gentle attempt to rouse him.

"Hi,"

Dimples formed in her cheeks as she gave him a genuine smile. "Hi."

"Have any room?"

Nodding quickly, realizing that his pillow was still a dog, he pushed Denver aside a bit as she crawled into the circle of his arms. The bed was far too small for the two of them, but they didn't care. Their thoughts were a few miles away with the little boy still laden with tubes and sedated at Children's Hospital. Sighing heavily, the dogs barrel of a chest lifted their heads up as he sneezed, making the two parents laugh, their worry ebbing slightly.

"Our pillow moves too much." Whispering against her shoulder, his lips pressing softly against her neck, Michael wrapped his arm protectively around her stomach. "What time is it?"

"Around 11:30. We slept in."

A soft cooing noise came from the other room, Sydney sighing as she stayed put. "Maybe he'll just…go back to sleep."

Vaughn laughed, "unlikely," pushing himself up and tossing in legs over the edge of the bed. Standing slowly, his back popping as he stretched, he leaned down to kiss her forehead and let her know that he'd grab which ever son was awake.

Rolling onto her back she looked up at Denver, the dog taking the opportunity to lick her nose. Laughing she pulled his head down and hugged him before getting up, grabbing his fleshy cheeks and jostling his head. "I'll bet you're hungry, huh?"

At the sound of food the dog's ears perked up as much as they could, his stubby tail wagging furiously against the soft bead spread. He leapt off the bed and his clawed feet scampered down the hallway. Only the thumping from the stairs could be heard, one last large thump giving her notice that he either jumped or fell down the last two steps.

Turning off the small lamp and casting one last soft look into the room, she closed the door behind her, leaving it open a crack so Denver could sneak in to lie on Danny's bed. Making her way to the nursery and finding no one around, she peeked into the cradle. It too was empty, so she began her search for her two smallest boys.

_'They have to be starving, I missed their 9:00 feeding.'_ Finding her husband in their room trying to change Will and keep the thermometer pacifier in Matty's mouth simultaneously, she had to smile at the scene they made.

"Lemme help," she intervened, lifting Matty up and pressing the binky into his mouth. Seeing his mother and feeling her cradle him made him want his pacifier less than before as he spat it out once more and nuzzled into her breast.

Deciding that feeding him was more important, she sat in the rocking chair across the room and freed his meal.

"What time did the Dr. Green say that they were going to take Danny in for the x-ray again?"

"Two o'clock I think."

The silence was interrupted by a knock at the door, Denver's feet scraping as he ran to see who it was.

"Damnit," Vaughn grumbled as he pulled away the baby wipe covering up Will's little soldier, the infant taking this opportunity to pee on his father. "Oh no…oh…oh God…"

Unable to contain her laughter, despite knowing she'd have to wash their sheets, the sight of Michael freaking out over the little yellow stream was too much to handle. Peals of laughter filled the room as she shook, Matty pausing in the consumption of his breakfast to flash a milky smile and furiously wriggle his little arms and legs as he joined in with a gurgle.

The father had to laugh a bit, seeing the contented, toothless smile of his son as he switched out diapers and covered him up before another incident could occur. Hearing the doorbell ring this time, he passed on the clothes as he placed him against his shoulder and all but bolted out of the room.

Getting to the door, Denver blocking him for a moment as he panted and whined, Michael tossed it open to see Mrs. Gatsby holding a large crock pot and wearing a brilliant smile.

"Michael my boy, it's good to see you! Sorry to drop by unannounced, but I made this pot roast and I need a hungry family to eat it."

Pushing Denver away with his foot as the hound smelled the food before either human could, Vaughn pulled her into a hug and subsequently into the warm house.

"It's so good to see you, Elenore! Hey Syd, Mrs. Gatsby's here!" Yelling up the stairs he heard her quiet response, opting to switch the baby for the heavy pot.

"I was in the middle of changing him when you knocked, sorry for making you stand outside with this heavy thing."

Waving him off and cuddling with the diapered baby, she scolded him slightly. "Why is your child almost naked, Michael? It's the middle of January!" Turning and taking him upstairs, Michael not realizing that he'd been left to talk to himself, she called out. "Sydney? You up here?"

"Back here with Matty."

Breezing in she saw the wet spot on the bed and chuckled. "Michael got wet, didn't he?" The two women shared a laugh as Sydney finished up with the youngest.

"Why don't you dress him while I feed Will?" Quickly wrapping him in a blanket, he began to fuss while searching for his meal. Not thrilled at waiting for his mother to sit down, he let out a frustrated squall.

"Patience, little boy, patience!"

Once the boys were fed and dressed they made their way downstairs where Michael was finishing in the kitchen. They sat at the table and chatted, Elenore asking about Danny first and foremost. Tears filled her eyes as she heard about his recent trip to the hospital, learning about his x-ray this afternoon.

"Why don't I watch Matty and Will while you two go to the hospital? You'll have enough on your plate without needing to keep the twins entertained."

"Honestly, since they're only two months old they mostly just sleep, eat, and poop. They're not hard to entertain." Michael offered to make breakfast, peeking in at the pot roast that the elderly woman had provided.

"Either way, I'll stay here and you can go concentrate on that little angel."

Deciding it wasn't a bad idea, they went to get dressed before heading out.

"If you need anything my sister should be next door. There's pumped milk in the fridge and make sure to check Matty's temperature every once and a while. If he starts getting grumpy about his ears…"

"…the drops are in the medicine cabinet to the right of the sink. I know all this, go. You two tell Danny that I'm still missing him!" Ushering them out, Sydney barely having time to grab her purse and zip up her coat, the door was closed behind them.

"I think we just got kicked out of our own house."

Climbing into the car, they began the drive that each of them knew far too well.

"You seem a bit…better this morning. You feel okay?" Vaughn set his hand over her knee, his wife turning and gracing him with a small smile.

"I do, actually. I think I just needed to admit to myself that I needed help, you know?"

Nodding and resuming the drive, a soft song playing over the radio, he stopped as the light before him turned red. "I know that it's hard for you to admit you need help, Syd. For both of us actually, I'm not good at it either. But, I just want you to know that I'm here for you. Through it all. We've come way too far to have everything tossed upside down because we're depressed."

She began to giggle, turning and looking out the window as the car began moving again.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No, what? I haven't heard you giggle like this in forever. What's on your mind?"

She paused, collecting her thoughts before tossing him a full-blown, dimpled smile. "As if depression ever stopped us before, right? I have all these…moments flashing through my mind. SD-6, my father, Francie, the Covenant…Danny. I remember telling myself 'this is as low as I can ever get' with each one of these instances, and yet the next one pops up and I say the same thing."

"We're gonna make it, Syd. We've seen worse, right?"

_'Barely,'_ they thought simultaneously, the rest of the ride going by with comfortable silence.

***

The x-ray came and went, the results looking pretty good, according to Dr. Green. They stood in Danny's room with the sheets up to the light, seeing the metal rods in his ribs and the screws keeping them in place.

"You want my opinion?" Green asked, both parents nodding enthusiastically. "I think he's going to be just fine. His blood work looks great, his lymph is still unaffected, even with this little snag here, as bad as it seems, it's a good thing. His body is trying to heal – to push the cancer out with the help of the chemo and medicine he's been on. I have to say that I believe Danny is in remission. He's going to be fine."

The smile on his face was genuine, and he almost wasn't prepared for Sydney to pull him into a hug. He laughed, wrapping his arms around her with a squeeze, pushing her back with hands on her shoulders. "He's going to be fine."

Tears fell from both sets of eyes as they each hugged him, Sydney once more, before he left the room. They gravitated toward each other, eyes falling on the bed as Michael pressed kisses to the top of his wife's head.

"He's going to be okay, Syd."

Unable to trust her voice she merely pressed her face into his throat and cried, tears of happiness for the first time in a week.

Long moments passed as he held her, losing likely as many tears into her hair as she shed into his shirt, a squeaky, tired voice pulling them apart.

"Mommy?" Danny lay on the bed, his eyes partly opened as his heavy hands attempted to remove the oxygen tube underneath his nose. Little sobs rose from his throat as he coughed.

At his side immediately, Sydney ran her hand through his hair, the other settling over his chest as Michael picked up his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"We're both right here, baby. You're such a big boy."

"Owie."

"I know it hurts, but you know what? We're home, and Dr. Green says that you're going to get all better."

He nodded, though she doubted that he understood her before passing out again, his breathing evening out.

"I can't wait to take him home, Michael." Pressing soft kisses to Danny's forehead, her fingers still running through his hair, she dimly heard Vaughn pull up a chair and take the boy's hand in his once more.

"It's been such a long time we've had to worry about him not being well, that I don't really know how I'm going handle him not being sick."

Sydney nodded, meeting her husband's green eyes. "I got a letter…from the elementary school."

"Really? What'd it say?"

"They want me to start in the fall semester. If…if Danny feels well, we can start him in first grade and I'll be right there with him."

"Is it something you want? To teach?"

Thinking for a moment, taking the time to look at their little boy, she nodded. "Despite the fact that I'm more than ready for him to be healthy enough to go to school, I just can't let him go that easily. And I've wanted to teach for such a long time. I mean, I got the degree, I might as well use it, right?"

Vaughn laughed, reaching out and cupping her cheek. "I think that you should do whatever will make you happy. You deserve to be happy, Sydney, and if I could make you smile every moment of every day like you have today, I would."

"I know you would." Cuddling her cheek into his hand, her eyes watering with tears, she flashed him an aforementioned smile. "I'm sorry for the last week or so, Vaughn – the way I've been."

"I've told you before that you don't have to be sorry. You were due for a breakdown, Syd. I'm just sorry that I didn't notice how much weight your were carrying before it almost broke you."

They sat in a comfortable silence, the beeping of the monitor almost soothing as evening began to settle over Colorado.

"Everything's going to be fine, Syd. We finally get to be a normal family."

***

A phone rang, interrupting the eerie quietness of the dark room, a single lamp in the corner casting a scant amount of light.

"Ho trovato il ragazzo." A voice filled the receiver, the man answering reclining in his chair. "Signore?" _[I found the boy. Sir?]_

"Che cosa di Anderson?" His voice was old, weathered by time and use. _[What of Anderson?]_

"Arrestati, signore." _[Arrested, sir.]_

"Era il mio nome?" _[Was my name mentioned?]_

"Non posso essere sicuro, ma io non la penso così." _[I cannot be sure, but I do not think so.]  
_  
There was a pause in the conversation, the answering man lighting a cigar and bringing it to his wrinkled lips.

"Signore? Che cosa vuoi che io faccia?" _[Sir? What would you have me do?]_

"Siate pazienti. Io vi contatterà.." _[Be patient. I will contact you.]_

Hanging up the receiver, puffing on his cigar, his hand moved to another small lamp sitting atop his desk. Littering the surface, now illuminated, were separate pieces of parchment. Foreign writing adorned the old surfaces, stained by dust and time. Sketches filled in the spaces between phrases and the man shuffled and pushed the pages around until he lifted one delicately into his hands.

"Io sarò di nuovo giovane. Per sempre." _[I will be young again. Forever.]_

***

A/N: Hooray! Holy crap…I actually finished a new chapter of Would You Rather!! More to come! I actually discovered my old notebook with my notes from the Rambaldi plot line from Have You Ever, which I never got to finish because I A) forgot it and B) lost my notes.

So…let the plot twists begin! You know I couldn't tell you all that Danny was going to be fine unless I put in a cliffie, didn't you?

I hope you enjoy the chapter! I actually have the juices flowing for this fic, so I'll likely keep going over the next week or so. Expect to see more!

-Jeanie


	8. Chapter 8: Domestic Disturbance

Chapter 8: Domestic Disturbance

"This is a photo of Raffaello Cipriani – a known Rambaldi enthusiast from Italy. He is responsible for hiring the mercenaries that intercepted the FBI convoy which was en route to the NSC's facility in Nevada with the original Rambaldi manuscript on Tuesday."

Sloan walked the room dressed as usual in a fine suit as Marshall, Dixon, Rink, and rookie agent Alex Bates stared at the withered old man on the screen.

"He has to b e at least 80 years old, how on earth is he organizing these kinds of activities?"

"93, actually, Marcus. The answer to that is his associate: Ricardo Fontanelli, his grandson. They've been working for years to acquire any Rambaldi artifact, manuscript, piece of artwork, or scrap of paper that has to do with Della Vita Immortale."

Marcus scoffed and shook his head, "The Immortal Life? Seriously?"

"Don't be so hasty to judge, Dixon. Rambaldi made great strides toward the later part of his life to discover a way for humanity to gain immortality. Some think he stumbled upon something when he began dismantling everything and scattering his life's work to the ends of the Earth." Sloan paused, placing a photocopied page of the manuscript on the table and scanning it to the screen.

"Some of you remember this page. It and several others were compromised by Mr. Cipriani on Tuesday."

Marshall stuttered, raising his hand and waiting for permission to speak. "Yes, Marshall?"

"I studied these pages like, in and out. The only things that were discernable were a date: November 27, and the fact that it corresponded with a child descended from Rambaldi himself. The thing is like _way_ cryptic."

"Cipriani was associated with Ryan Anderson, wasn't he?" Marcus gave Sloane a worried look, hoping that his deduction was wrong.

"Ryan Anderson worked for Cipriani actually." Lifting a glass of water to his lips, his focus turning to the agent seated to his right.

"We have reason to believe that Raffaello is attempting to pick up where Anderson seemed to stray – looking for the child born on November 27 that shares blood ties with Rambaldi."

Sliding another item over the scanner, the others in the room patiently waiting for the image to pop up on their screens, the photo showed a laughing little boy sitting on his mother's lap after spinning in her office chair at their offices.

"Are Sydney and Vaughn in danger?"

Sloane smiled reassuringly, setting a hand to Marshall's shoulder. "Not that we know of so far. But, they will need to be comprised of the situation."

"Why?" The booming voice of Agent Rink filled the small space as the large man stood, buttoning his overcoat. "Agents Bristow and Vaughn aren't with the organization any longer, nor are they still CIA. First we get Cipriani, and _only_ then, if need be, will those **civilians** be contacted. And in that case, only out of necessity."

"With all due respect Samuel, I happen to be in charge of this organization."

"Under** my** watchful eye."

"Well…your concerns notwithstanding, I'm sending Dixon to Denver to meet with the Vaughn's. Tell them only what's necessary and offer them protective services if they think they need them. Rink, have the CIA add every mention of Daniel Rien and Daniel Vaughn, November 27, and Immortality to the Echelon intercept list."

"You know that won't work, Sloane. Not with Sydney. They'll want to know everything."

"It'll have to work, Marcus. Wheels up in one hour. Agent Bates, get to work on getting in to talk with Ryan Anderson. Right now he's our only solid leads on Cipriani or Fontanelli. Hopefully we'll get something soon – that's all."

***

Sydney smiled as she stood near the flagpole waiting for the bell to ring and the students to exit the building. This was the first day of school, and though she didn't regret telling them she couldn't start until next year because the twins weren't quite old enough, she was excited that Danny had been admitted into kindergarten along with Josh.

The bell rang and moments later children poured out of the school. Most of the older kids were there until 3:00, but the K through 3rd graders got out a bit earlier than everyone else.

She recognized his teacher as she led his class out, the perfect line she'd created getting broken as the children saw their parents and bolted. Both Danny and Josh were all over her, the excited little boys rattling off their day.

"Mommy, we have our first homeworks! Our classroom has a bunny and his name is Fluffy the Bunny, and 'morro we get to go over letters and numbers just like you teached me!"

Their mouths were going a mile a minute as she lead them back over to the car, Josh going home with them because Rick had a teachers planning meeting at the high school.

Michael was patiently waiting in the car, the two babbling nine-month old boys in the back. The drive home was eventful as Josh and Danny continued to talk about their day as if they hadn't experienced it together, the adults laughing as they decided to stop trying to insert their own questions about their son's first day of school.

Pulling into the driveway, Sydney hopping out to get the twins, the five-year olds bypassed the door and climbed up over the front seat to exit through her open door.

"Uncle Dixon!"

Both Michael and Sydney's head shot up, seeing Danny run over and Marcus envelop the boy in his arms. His smile was genuine as the little boy hugged him.

"I'm surprised you even remember who I am. Hello, Syd, Vaughn," he waved in their direction, seeing the surprise on their faces.

Danny and Josh waited impatiently for Michael to get to the front door, a wiggling blond-haired baby in his arms, the key in his hand as he unlocked and pushed the door open. Denver greeted the boys with eagerness, knocking Danny over as his tongue laved his cheeks.

"Gah, Denver, stop!"

The pooch relented only slightly, changing his focus to Josh. "Alright you two, head out to the backyard and I'll get a snack ready for you."

Dixon accepted her invitation to enter, seeing the concerned look in her eyes.

Michael put up the gates at the bottom of the stairs and in front of the kitchen, setting the twins on the floor to roll around. Scattering toys around the confined area, the three adults hopped the gate and sat around the kitchen table.

"I take it this isn't a personal visit."

"I had Sloane send me." The ebony agent paused, peeking around the kitchen and seeing how comfy their home was. "The last thing I wanted to do was come here and disturb the life you two have, you know that. But I just had to share our intel with you as soon as I could."

Sydney sighed and stood, lifting up a couple of apples and beginning to slice them on the counter.

"Have you ever heard of the name Raffaello Cipriani?"

Sydney shook her head as she sliced.

"I think I ran across his name in the files when I was working on the Anderson case. He's a Rambaldi enthusiast from Italy. All my intel on him came back dry and I dropped him when he didn't lead me to Anderson."

"Anderson worked for Cipriani, Vaughn, you were closer than you thought. Sloane told me to tell you only what's necessary, but I say screw him - you deserve to know what we do."

Vaughn grinned as Sydney laughed, putting together two plates of apples and peanut butter. "Give me a sec."

Making her way to the back patio and setting up their snack, the boys bounded over with Denver on their heels. "Daddy and I are going to be really busy with Dixon, okay? Can you try and play outside for a little while longer?"

The boys agreed as they munched their apples, Danny sticking his finger in the peanut butter with a dimpled smile. Closing the door behind her, she settled in beside her husband with a serious look on her face.

"Cipriani is picking up where Anderson left off, though it seems that Anderson went a bit crazy with the involvement with his wife. He's looking for Della Vita Immortale. His grandson, Ricardo Fontanelli, hired mercenaries to hit an NSC transport that was taking a Rambaldi manuscript back to Nevada."

"Project Black Hole?"

"Seems like it. They now have the manuscript that details the passage to Della Vita Immortale, according to Rambaldi. It states that a child of Rambaldi's bloodline will be born in our time on November 27th. APO thinks that Cipriani will be picking up the search for Daniel."

The news hit the parents like ice water, Vaughn's brow wrinkling as he pinched the bridge of his nose, Sydney exhaling the breath she hadn't realized she'd be holding as her hand covered her face.

"What should we do?"

"I can offer you protective services, if you need," Marcus suggested, seeing the two shake their heads. "Which I knew you would reject. I don't know if it'll be a problem quite yet…it might not lead to anything. This Rambaldi crap is bunk and we all know it, but we also know that those that hold those beliefs to be true and sacred are dangerous people."

They sat quietly, Sydney and Vaughn thinking as Dixon let them have their moment. He peeked into the living room, seeing Matty asleep on the floor and Will trying to pull himself up at the gate separating the living room from the kitchen. He gave up, his mouth chewing on the bars instead as he stayed on his knees.

"Dixon…what can we do?"

"Unfortunately, at this point, we only wanted to inform you. We're looking for both Cipriani and Fontanelli, but the work might be slow. Our only lead is Anderson, so we have an agent en route to talk with him now. Maybe we'll get something. I have a plane to catch, so I'm sorry to have to leave so quickly after unexpectedly showing up."

Handing them a business card with an e-mail scrawled onto the back, he explained. "I had Marshall set up this e-mail server so that I can contact you. I'm not supposed to give you any information since you're civilians, but the hell with it. Watch your back though…we don't know what Cipriani knows and we won't if Anderson stonewalls us."

Sydney walked him to the door as they avoided stepping on the babies. "Marcus…thank you. Give us a call if…if you get anything."

Dixon pressed a kiss to her cheek, telling them to take care as he left. Rick greeted him on the front step as he walked into the house.

"Hey, sorry I'm late."

"The boys are in the back finishing their snack." Vaughn explained as Rick looked back and forth between the two of them.

"Whoa…who died?"

Sydney tried to put him off with a smile, "don't worry, it was just a 'former life' thing."

"What like 'CIA life' thing or like 'blown up house like last year' thing? Are you two in trouble?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that. Some of them men that originally made Danny sick have…surfaced. The man that was here was a colleague and he just wanted to let us know, that's all."

Rick nodded, knowing he couldn't ask too many questions. "Well, let me get my rug rat out of here and I'll let you two alone. If you need any help or anything, you know where to find me. I mean, if you need a babysitter or something."

Gathering Josh up, his fingers sticky with apple juice and peanut butter, the two of them said goodbye to the Vaughn's as the door closed. Sydney's fingers promptly locked it tight, Michael pulling her into his arms. He spent a moment just holding her, her hands clutching his shoulders and her face smashed into his neck.

"Why won't that life just go away?"

Michael slowly rocked her back and forth, needing this contact nearly as much as his wife. He chuckled quietly, Sydney pulling back with a confused look. Tiny hands were pulling at his pants, Will determined to try and stand, though his legs wouldn't cooperate quite yet.

Leaning down and picking him up, Michael pressed his body between theirs with a kiss to his forehead. The scent of the baby's shampoo made his eyes close, the thought of potentially losing his family branding fear into his heart.

"I can't run the risk of losing you again, Sydney. Or the boys. I…I won't survive it."

She pulled back, one hand resting on Will's back and the other running through Michael's hair before cupping the back of his neck.

"You'll never lose me, Vaughn, I swear. If…if you want, we can do the protective services that Dixon mentioned."

Michael sighed, Danny's voice pulling them away.

"Where did Uncle Dixon go?"

"He had to go back to work honey." Sydney whispered, "should we tell him anything?"

Vaughn shrugged, not quite knowing how to answer.

"Buddy, can we talk to you for a minute?"

Moving into the room after dutifully washing up in the kitchen, he crawled up onto the couch and regarded both parents with wide open eyes and folded hands. His mother took the seat beside him, Michael deciding to stay standing with Will against his chest.

"Danny…some of the bad guys that hurt you before your daddy and I took you away are…might be trying to find us again."

"Don't go back, daddy! Please!" Fear and panic filled his little green eyes as he leapt off the couch and threw himself into Vaughn's legs.

Reassuring his son with a hand rubbing his back, his father promised he wasn't going anywhere. "But, we need to make sure that you stay safe when we're out, okay? You already know that you need to yell and scream if a stranger grabs you, but if a stranger comes up and tells you that mommy or I am hurt and he needs to take you away, we need you to ask him for a password that only our family will know."

"Even tia and uncle?" Danny sat back down on the couch, this time closer to Sydney's side. Wiggling his hand into hers she rubbed her thumb across his fingers.

"Yeah, even Eric and Nadia."

"Can I pick the word?"

Sydney smiled, happy to see her little boy taking this so well, though the fear hadn't totally left his eyes.

"Pachycephalosaurus."

The parents were unable to hold back their laughter, though the five-year old didn't quite understand what made them do so. "Is that word okay?"

"I just hope I can learn how to pronounce it." Will clapped his little hands, his grin showing off a single little white tooth at the front of his mouth. "Now, when you go with us to the store or to the park, I want you to stay extra close, okay?"

"Maybe I can just hold your hands forever 'cause then I can never get tooked away."

"Okay. Let's get ready for dinner, alright?"

"Can we have macaroni and cheese for dinner, momma? Wiff hot dogs?"

"Absolutely, I'll get it started. Why don't you go change and have your daddy help you with your homework."

The panic was gone from his eyes, Sydney almost forgetting for a moment that he was a five-year old little boy. He scampered up the stairs on all fours, disappearing around the corner.

***

Turning her head and reading '1:47' on the beside clock, Sydney sighed into the dim light of their bedroom.

"You can't sleep either, huh?" Turning and propping himself up on his arm, he looked down as she lay on her back.

"I just wish that I could go out there and kick someone's ass and make it safe for him again."

Michael laughed, a dimpled smile making its way across her cheeks as well. "Look, if it were that easy everyone would do it to make sure their kids were safe. But…we just have to wait, baby. I know it's hard, believe me, I know."

She looked up at him, her fingers tracing the line of his jaw and down to his chest before flattening her hand over his heart.

"Well…I can't sleep and neither can you…I wish there was something we could do to pass the time that is a bit more pleasurable than lying here worrying about tomorrow."

She could feel his heartbeat quicken beneath her palm, and knew – despite the lack of light – that his eyes had darkened. "I could maybe think of something," he mumbled, leaning in and capturing her lips.

Pulling her to her side, flush against his body, she sighed into his mouth as his tongue traced her lips before slipping in to duel with her own. Sydney's hands moved from his chest to around his shoulders, fingers delving into the hair at the back of his neck. Michael's large hands splayed across her shoulders as he attempted to massage the tension away.

They broke apart for a moment, his breath coming out in pants before he shifted his focus from her pouted lips to the column of her throat. He felt her swallow, his tongue sneaking out to lave at the racing pulse point. Tasting the perfume she dabbed on that morning, her moans made his insistent hardness throb in his boxers, begging to be set free.

Moving lower his lips traced her jugular before settling on the dimple formed by the junction of her collarbones. Rolling her gently onto her back with one hand diving into her hair as the other traced the contour of her side, he groaned when she lifted her hips up and pinned his cock between their bodies.

"You tease too much, Syd," he ground out, thrusting into her stomach as she released a winded, sultry laugh above his head.

Michael's tongue traced a line from her collar bones to the top of her camisole, the fabric scraping against his tongue as it kept her breast concealed from his mouth. Looping his fingers through the left strap he pulled it down, more being freed as he nipped at her flesh.

Screaming broke the moment, the parents springing apart. Michael tried to figure out what was happening through the fog of his lust-addled brain, Danny's voice piercing the air.

"Daddy! Ders someone in my room!"

Grabbing the handgun he'd set on his night stand he fled the bedroom with Sydney on his heels. Kicking the door wide he thrust the gun in, finger twitching on the trigger. Denver growled and barked as he barreled down the hallway after hearing the little boy's yells.

Danny sat cowering against the wall in the far corner of the room, the window opposite open as a breeze ruffled the curtains. Seeing no threat Sydney ran to her son, pulling him up against her chest as he sobbed. Vaughn made his way over to the window, realizing that he'd left it open after doing paint touch-ups on Danny's dresser. The billowing curtains must have woken him up and after their talk earlier in the evening his little mind must have gone to dark places seeing something moving in the dim light cast by his nightlight.

"I'm sorry, Dans, I left your window open, buddy." Clicking the safety he tucked the weapon into the elastic of his boxers before closing and locking the window, pulling the curtains closed.

"I dun wanna sleep in here!" His little hands clung around his mother's neck, her soft voice trying to soothe away his fear.

Taking him from the room, Michael stopping in the nursery as the twins whimpered in their crib. "I'll get them back to sleep you take Danny into our room."

Danny's little body shook as he cried into Sydney's shoulder. "Honey, it's okay. There wasn't a bad guy, I promise, it was just your open window that scared you."

"Nu-uh! He was there! I seen him!"

Climbing into bed she crossed her legs below her body and cocooned him with her arms and their fluffy blanket. He hiccupped and sniffled, her shoulder soaked, but she didn't care. Running a hand over his warm back and another cradling the back of his head, she began to feel his body relax as his cried lessened, the occasional shudder wracking his frame.

Pushing away from her with weak, tired arms, he looked into her soul with two, huge, red-rimmed green eyes. "You believe me, don't you momma?"

Sydney nodded, cupping his cheeks and pressing a kiss to his forehead before pulling him back into her arms and reclining. She could hear Michael over the monitor on the nightstand as he whispered to the twins trying to get them back to sleep.

Danny went limp against her as he crashed, so she tucked them both in and snuggled together under the covers. Propping herself up on her elbow she watched him sleep, Vaughn reentering the room.

"What do you think?"

"He swears he saw someone, Vaughn."

Michael nodded as he removed the gun from the waistband of his boxers and slid it into the drawer on his side of the bed. "It was probably just the curtains, Syd, I meant to close them when I tucked him in tonight and I just spaced it. I mean, he hasn't had a nightmare in such a long time, and with the news we shared with him tonight I'm sure it didn't help his imagination."

"He's never been one to make things up though…that's just not like him."

"Sydney, it was the curtains. We freaked him out tonight and he thought it was a bad guy."

Sighing and running a hand over Danny's arm she conceded, deciding that her husband was most likely correct. She felt the bed shift a bit as he climbed in, Danny immediately rolling and cuddling into his side, though his fingers still clutched one of her hands.

"I haven't felt like this in a long while Michael…but I'm scared."

Pulling the two of them close, Danny being pressed between them, his hands massaged at her lower back before he leaned in to press a kiss to her soft lips. "Me too. Let's get some sleep, I have a feeling that we're going to have a long day tomorrow."

***

***

A/N: Okay! Getting into some meat and potatoes!! Anywho, let me know what you think!

-Jeanie


	9. Chapter 9: A Relaxing Weekend

**Chapter 9: A Relaxing Weekend**

It had been three days since Danny's incident in his room and the little boy had slept with his parents each following night. Saturday morning dawned as Danny woke, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he looked up at his mommy as she slept. Michael had apparently already gotten up as the vacant spot on his side of the bed suggested, so the little boy scooted closer to Sydney as she wrapped her arm around his small body. Tucking him against her she ran a hand through his hair before squinting against the invasive light down at him.

"Morning, sleepyhead."

"You're a sleepyhead too, momma. Wanna be sleepyheads longer?" At her nod he tucked his face onto her shoulder and attempted to toss his arm around her. "You and daddy gonna make me sleep in my own bed soon?"

Sydney thought about her words carefully – while she wanted to say yes in order to get her evenings back to spend with her husband, she didn't entirely want him to be afraid of his own bedroom. "Daddy and I want you to feel safe. If that means you sleep in here for a little while, that's okay with us."

Pressing a kiss to his forehead they snuggled together, Sydney almost falling back to sleep until a raucous noise from the backyard pulled their attention out of the fluffy, warm bed and to the window. Denver ran about the yard growling and barking, Michael tossing the sliding glass door open below them and attempting to hush the dog. He would act like this occasionally when a squirrel would snag his attention, but this wasn't located at the tree at the west side of their yard - his growling and barking was focused along the fence of their side yard.

"Maybe he saw another bunny – he loves to chase bunny rabbits." Danny mumbled, rubbing his eyes once more before taking her hand and pulling her out of their bedroom, down the hall, and into his own.

Taking up her usual spot on the edge of his bed she waited until he picked out his outfit on his own – plaid, purple shorts and a green striped t-shirt. Grinning at his lack of color coordination she watched as he put the outfit on the bed next to her before moving to grab a pair of blue socks and Batman underwear out of his drawer.

Leaving the room before going back into his parent's bedroom he went to the bathtub and turned the water on. Using the knobs like Sydney had showed him, the red one for hot and the blue one for cold, he made sure that the water was nice and hot but wouldn't burn him. Slipping out of his pajamas he made the trek down the hallway and into his bedroom naked, Sydney cocking her brow as she watched him put his dirty clothes into the hamper before scampering back out of the room.

Shaking her head deciding that this was probably a talk better suited for father and son, she stood and followed him into their bathroom. Spotting him sitting in the slowly filling tub looking very small she lifted up the body wash and squirted some in the rising water.

"I get a fun bath this morning?" Danny's smile lit the room as Sydney grabbed his crate of toys and dumped them into the tub while he giggled and clapped his hands.

"Let me know if the water gets too cold, okay? You have fun. When you're done playing you can scrub up and then I'll wash your hair."

"Can I ask for a special breakfast?" Turning on his puppy eyes she crouched next to the tub and tested the water, though sure by now that he would have complained if it was too hot or cold, he folded his fingers and begged. "Could we make pancakes wiff peanut butter?"

"Sure, sweetie. I'll talk to daddy and we'll eat when you're done with your bath."

He 'hoorayed' as she retreated, closing the door behind her before picking out her own clothes for the day. The clock beside the bed read 9:45, Sydney dressing quickly and reopening the bathroom door in order to brush her hair and shut off the water to the tub.

Since Danny flooded the room during one eventful Sunday afternoon she monitored how much water he was allowed during his bath time. Twisting her hair up into a ponytail, the bangs finally growing back out long enough to stay out of her face during the day, she leaned in toward the mirror with the mascara brush in her hand.

"Daddy says that you don't need all that face gunk." Sailing a little boat through the bubbles he spoke without looking up at her smiling face.

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmhmm. He says that you are pretty wiffout it. I fink so too."

"Well you are both very smart men." Applying the mascara anyway before dusting the foundation over her freckled nose and cheeks, she put it all away before pressing a kiss to the top of his head and leaving the room.

Peeking into the nursery and seeing Will, her other over sleeper, gnawing at one of his toys she waltzed into the room. Ditching the squishy ring quickly he flashed his smile at his mother as she lifted him up with a spin. His baby giggle prompted one of her own as she got him ready for his day. Tossing his soggy diaper and dressing him in a pair of little jeans and a green shirt, knowing she'd have to change after breakfast, she set him on her hip and toted him downstairs. Bouncing down the steps as his little hand clung to her shirt he laughed, Sydney stepping off the stairs and into the living room.

"Ma ma ma," Matty mumbled from his bouncy seat in the corner, Michael looking up from the paper as he sat on the couch with a cup of coffee.

"Coffee sounds delightful," his wife commented as she placed Will into his Johnny Jumper that Vaughn had installed, the bungees bouncing him as he kicked with his little feet. His favorite Johnny Jumper game was to twist himself with his feet until they he could no longer reach the floor, then tuck them up and spin quickly with a laugh and a shriek. Their little blonde boy was destined for roller coasters and fast cars.

"Danny wants pancakes with peanut butter for breakfast." Lifting his coffee out of his hands and taking a sip before replacing it she leaned in to press a kiss to his lips before making her way into the kitchen.

"You're welcome!" Vaughn chastised with a dimpled grin as he went back to the sports section. Will spun happily in his jumper while Matty bounced in his seat, their father sneaking peeks at them while he read.

The silence was broken once again as Denver went berserk in the backyard. A deep growl followed by a terrible squeal and cry made the parents run to the yard and see their dog attached to something alongside the fence. The boxer tried as best as he could to free his leg from whatever he was stuck in, calming only slightly when Michael grabbed his collar and held his large head to his chest trying to keep him from moving around.

"Oh my god, he's caught in a trap."

The metal teeth had clamped down on the dog's leg, Sydney petting his ears and trading places with her husband as Eric's concerned voice came from over the fence, Nadia not far behind. "What's going on?"

"Weiss, c'mere. Syd, try and keep him from moving around, okay? Eric and I will get the trap off. We're gonna have to take him to the vet."

"Denver?" Danny stood on the patio in a pair of backwards Batman underwear, soap dripping down his legs and sticking to his hair. "My doggy! What's wrong with my doggy?" Nadia scooped him up and took him inside, shushing him in soft Spanish words.

"No, Tia, Denver needs me!"

"It's okay, niño, your daddy and uncle Eric will take care of him. Let's get you dressed, okay?"

Carrying his fighting body up stairs, the three adults outside tried to figure out what their next step was. Sydney decided to hold the dogs head while Vaughn and Eric pried the teeth open to free his leg. The second that Michael touched the trap Denver whined and broke his head free from Sydney's grasp to lick at his owner's hand.

"Why don't you do this, he is way too strong." Switching places with her husband she and Eric counted to three as they each grabbed a side and pulled them apart.

The dog panicked with a bark before lunging and sinking his teeth into Sydney's hand. This forced her to let go of the trap early. Fortunately Denver had pulled his leg free and it slammed shut empty making Eric tip back onto his rump as she clutched her bleeding hand. Michael let him go as he whimpered and limped a around in a circle, unable to put any weight on his foot.

"Sure! You get licked and I get bit," she groused as Vaughn set his hand to her shoulder with a squeeze.

Denver hobbled over to her as his tongue licked at her arm, his eyes saying he was sorry. "This couldn't be a more perfect day, could it?" Michael grumbled as he helped his wife up, Eric picking up the dog and brusquely jogging into the house. "Get him in the back seat of the car, would you? I'm going to see to Syd's hand then I'll take him to the vet."

Meanwhile, upstairs, Nadia was helping him fasten the button on his shorts as the commotion downstairs rose. "It was him, Tia."

"Who, Danny?"

"The man from my room. He's afraid of my Denver so he hurt him."

His aunt wasn't entirely sure how to answer, so she took up his hand and walked him back down to the living room. Weiss was making his way out through the garage door with the whimpering dog in his arms, Danny breaking the hold from Nadia's hand and following.

"I'm going with my doggy!"

"Nadia, can you come here for a minute?" Michael's voice brought the Argentinean into the kitchen, gasping when she saw the blood on the counter and in the sink. "Syd needs stitches and we need to get Denver to the vet. Can you watch the twins?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, Nadia. Do me a favor, okay? Lock all the doors and windows and don't let anyone in unless you know them. There's a handgun in the drawer next to our bed on my side, alright?"

"What's going on?"

They hadn't yet told Eric and Nadia about Dixon's news, planning on doing that today during dinner. "Because someone set a trap in our yard on purpose. The news we had tonight for you guys wasn't exactly good," Sydney ground out as Michael wrapped her hand tightly in a dishtowel. "Guys that Anderson worked for might be looking for Danny and we just don't want to take any chances."

"C'mon, let's go." Leading her toward the garage Nadia promised to be careful, locking the door behind them before moving to both the back and front doors and doing the same.

The house seemed quiet as she peeked over at Matty and Will, two sets of eyes focusing on her before each one of the boys smiled. "I wish I was that oblivious," she chuckled as she got the twins ready for breakfast.

***

Danny sat in the backseat with Denver's head on his lap stroking the boxer's soft fur. Vaughn peeked into the rear-view mirror seeing tears on his little boy's cheeks as well as Sydney's raised hand as she tried to keep it above her heart.

"Is Denver going to die, momma?"

Looking up at her with such sad green eyes Sydney's heart nearly broke for him. "Oh no, sweetie. He'll probably need some stitches and a cast on his leg but he'll be just fine."

"Are you okay?" Michael's voice broke in, his eyes focusing on his wife.

"I'm fine. A little sore but I can't blame Denver, he didn't mean to."

"Denver bited you?" At the mention of his name the dog's ears perked up, his head leaving its spot where he was furiously laving at his injured leg to lick the little boys arm. "He didn't mean to, momma."

Running her good hand through his hair she reassured him with a kiss to his temple. "Oh I know, honey. He's a good boy he was just scared and hurt. I don't blame him at all."

Pulling quickly up to the animal hospital a few moments later Michael hefted Denver up as he whined, Eric helping Syd out of the car before pulling Danny up on his hip. There were only a few families in the waiting room, though they bypassed the seats and marched up to the counter. Three of the nurses jumped up seeing the man carrying the injured dog with bloodied hands.

"Hi, our dog here got his foot caught in a trap, he needs help pretty quick."

A vet came out from the back room quickly and took the dog, Danny intending to follow. "Please save my Denver, he's my only doggy!"

"We'll take good care of him, little guy. He's going to be running around with you soon, okay?"

"Also, my wife got bit as she was trying to get his leg out, is there any chance you could stitch her up as well or would we need to leave Denver here and get her over to a hospital?"

"We actually stitch up a lot of bites so come on back. Can one of you fill out these two forms?"

Vaughn accepted them as Eric went with the young women into the next room, Danny tugging on the nurse's smock. "Can I go with my mommy?"

Michael nodded as Weiss took the boy's hand, the small group being led into a side room.

"You got bit, huh?" An older man, around her father's age, stepped into the room with a nurse following carrying a tray of instruments.

"Yeah. I can't blame him much though. Of course my husband got a lick while I got a mouthful of teeth."

"Let's take a peek here," he mumbled putting on a face mask as he unwrapped her hand from the towel and winced. "Definitely going to need stitches for this one." Reaching for a bottle of alcohol and a swab he apologized that it was going to hurt, Sydney groaning as he cleaned the wounds as quick as he could.

Fifteen minutes later Danny sat on Eric's lap as Michael stepped in with a knock, seeing the doctor still at work on her hand.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. A new personal record: twenty-two stitches! Fortunately he missed the tendons and it was only muscle damage."

"All done! I'm going to wrap it up and you'll probably want to do the same each night after cleaning it with some alcohol or iodine, alright?"

"Thanks Doctor, we really appreciate it." Bandaging her hand and wrist carefully, keeping it tight, he left the room as the small group quieted.

"How's Denver?"

"They say he'll be just fine. His leg was broken so they set it, stitched him up and were putting a cast on him last I peeked in. He's going to have to stay here for a couple of nights but they say we can pick him up on Tuesday."

"Why can't he come home, daddy?"

Vaughn pulled his son up into his arms as Eric helped Sydney put her jacket on. "They are putting him on some medicine just in case the thing he got his foot stuck in was dirty, okay? The doctors just want to make sure that he's going to feel really good before he can come home with us."

He accepted, asking if he could see him before they left. Carrying him down the hall they peeked into the room where the big dog lay on the table, his tongue lolling out of his mouth and a white cast shining on his leg.

"Poor, Denver," Danny cried, wiggling out of Vaughn's arms and over to the table.

"He'll be just fine! We gave him some medicine to help him sleep and make sure his leg doesn't hurt."

Danny spent a few moments with his dog, kissing his nose before the group left. Asking the nurses to bill them they piled into the car.

***

Later that night after Danny was tucked into Michael and Sydney's bed, the two joined their neighbors down in the kitchen.

"What's going on?"

"Dixon came to see us a couple days ago with some news. Apparently the guy that Anderson worked for intercepted an NSA convoy that was transporting a Rambaldi manuscript. They have it now, the one that Anderson had in Russia. APO thinks that this guy, Cipriani, is going to resume their search for Danny."

Nadia and Eric sat with stunned expressions, the two parents sharing a look and remembering when this was once news to them as well.

"Is there anything we can do?"

Sydney smiled, "not right now. But we really need to assume that someone is watching us. Somebody _set_ that trap in the backyard – probably to get rid of Denver for a few days."

"Have you two thought of protective services?" Weiss assumed they would jump all over him for suggesting it but was surprised when Michael said he'd already contacted Dixon and had him arrange it.

"They'll be here in the morning and Marshall's coming along to set up some surveillance and security equipment. Until then we just need to wait."

The group went quiet, Vaughn setting his hand to Sydney's knee underneath the table as she played with a string hanging from her bandage. "Well…movie then? We can actually watch one for adults." Weiss' eyebrows wiggled as their spirits lifted slightly, the group moving into the living room.

Settling on something with sex, violence, and explosions, mainly because with Danny asleep they could get away with it, they settled in after Sydney made some popcorn and Michael passed around bottles of beer.

Sydney was the first to fall asleep, her head on Vaughn's shoulder with their legs tangled up together propped up on the coffee table. Michael's fingers lightly traced the bandages wrapped around her hand as his mind wandered.

'_What if this just goes on forever? I mean…just because we're out of the CIA now doesn't mean that crap is done with us. It's just not fair – we've tried so hard to have a normal life. Sydney deserves a normal life.'_ Shaking his head he extracted himself from her side and stood, lifting her up and taking her upstairs. Depositing her into their bed beside Danny, their sleeping boy looking so small between their pillows, he pulled her socks off.

He felt her hands on his shoulders as he attempted to loosen her jeans, looking up with an 'I got caught' expression. "Just tryin' to help; didn't mean to wake you."

"'Sokay, I'll take it from here. You go finish the movie," she ordered, shooing him out and sitting up, her fingers delving into the pants as she slipped them off over her hips. He pulled the covers back for her and tucked her in much as he would Danny, pressing a kiss to her forehead and one to Danny's. The little boy snuggled against Sydney like a magnet, her arms accepting him and watching with heavy lidded eyes as Michael flipped on the lava lamp in the corner and left the room.

"I hope Denver is warm, momma."

"Tomorrow will be better, honey. Remember? We're going to the museum with Josh and Rick?" _'Hopefully that'll take his mind off of things,'_ she thought with her fingers absently running through his hair.

He nodded while falling asleep, a little smile on his lips making her chuckle and settle in next to him, the pain pills working their magic as they knocked her out.

***

***

A/N: Hooray! Another chapter done! I have a super fun idea for the museum in the next chapter, so I'm working on it a bit today. Luckily my Monday's are pretty chill at work (though the rest of the week is insane), so it's usually the best day I have to get some fic writing done.

Let me know what you think!

-Jeanie


	10. Chapter 10: Kicks and Giggles

A/N: It's so weird writing both this fic and The Black of Night – I realized all too late that I named guys in both stories Rick. Sorry about that – I should probably find better names for characters, huh?

***

**Chapter 10: Kicks and Giggles**

Sydney and Rick jumped into the car as Michael met her at the driver side window. "Sorry I can't go guys," he accepted a kiss from his wife and waved back at Danny and Josh who both wore excited smiles and dinosaur t-shirts.

"You sure you don't want me to take one of the boys? Marshall's going to be here soon and they're a handful if you're alone."

"I've got Eric and Nadia; I can always ditch one of them at their place. Have fun! Call before you leave, okay?"

With a small pit stop at the gas station they were on their way to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the new traveling dinosaur exhibit making the boys in the back talk a mile a minute about what they were going to see and do first.

"So…Josh tells me that you have a girlfriend," Sydney left off, casting a sideways glance at the man sitting next to her.

Rick's blushing cheeks were her answer and he kept his gaze out the window at the passing scenery.

"Her name is Rachel and she's nice and they always kiss a bunch when they think I'm not there."

"Thank you, _son_." Conceding to his fate he turned to stare at the young mother next to him. "Yes, I have been seeing someone, but I don't know if anything's gonna come of it."

"What? Why not?"

A red light gave her a chance to look over at her friend, his blue eyes filled with an emotion she knew far too well – guilt. "Oh, Rick, you can't feel guilty about moving on. Sammy wouldn't want you to be miserable and alone for the rest of your life would she?"

Shaking his head he fingered the gold ring that he couldn't bring himself to remove. "It's just…hard, you know? I mean…you know – you lost a fiancée and now have Michael and the boys, but it's still hard. Even after almost six years I can't stop thinking that I'm betraying her. How did _you_ do it?"

That was possibly the most difficult question she'd ever been asked, but the more she thought about it the simpler the answer became. "Vaughn."

"What about him?"

"Vaughn helped me get over Danny. Our relationship didn't start out as…well, as a relationship, it grew from a friendship. A completely insane friendship, but one none-the-less."

"Rachel and I have worked at the school together for a few years, but she just got transferred to a new county. Since then we've…started seeing each other, I suppose."

Sydney couldn't help but grin at the look on his face. It was still sad and his eyes were still filled with guilt, but the small smile that her name caused his lips to form was all the evidence she needed. Her friend was smitten for sure.

"If you really want to know how to get over some one, I'm not the best person to ask. Sure I've done it, but Danny's death was really complicated and…it wasn't an accident – it was _my _fault. I got him killed. My guilt was always firmly rooted in the fact that it was because of me that he wasn't around any longer, not because I started having feelings about Vaughn."

"I don't exactly have friends to talk with about this stuff, Syd. You're really the only person I know that's lost someone they loved and was about to rebound from it."

"You should talk to Vaughn."

"Why, because he's a guy?"

"Because he lost _me_ once."

Rick turned back to her, confusion once against written on his face. "What do you mean he lost you…you're here?"

She sighed, peeking into the mirror and seeing two sets of eyes, one green and the other blue, focused on the two chatting adults.

"Just…trust me. Michael can give you answers that I can't, alright? He's the person you want to ask these questions to."

The drive continued silently, Rick resisting the urge to tell the boys to cover their ears so Sydney could just tell him what he wanted to know. Danny spoke up after a few minutes, his mind going back to something he'd heard her say. "Momma, I'm not killed."

"No, honey, a different Danny. I used to know a Danny before I met your daddy, and he died."

"You had two Danny's?"

She flashed him a smile in the mirror, turning in to the entrance of the museum. "Yeah, I did. But you're my favorite."

Driving around until they eventually found a place to park the adults went over the rules with the boys about getting lost and talking with strangers before making their way into the museum. Instantly they were greeted by Denver's famous _Tyrannosaurus rex_, "Rockette Rex", the two little boys standing underneath the massive foot as Sydney snapped a picture with her camera.

Deciding to save the new dinosaur exhibit for last they appeased the five-year old paleontologists by exploring the museum's permanent exhibit, Prehistoric Journey. The boys took turns reading as their parents encouraged them, finally making their way down to the dinosaur portion, spending a good forty minutes in the large room as the boys ran back and forth between the dinosaurs and tried to pick one that was their favorite. Josh finally settled on the _Allosaurus_ since it had sharp claws and teeth, but Danny surprised her by going with the _Stegosaurus_.

Though when he said it was because the dinosaur had sharp spikes on its tail she realized that he was still partial to dinosaurs with pointy things or sharp claws – as most little boys are. Lingering a bit longer in the mammal room, mostly to look at the mammoth, the boys ran out the exit and pointed across the hall to the Wild Animal's of North America hall. "C'mon mom, c'mon Rick! Let's go see polar bears!"

"Slow down you too, don't get too far ahead!" Sydney grumbled. The upper were floors surprisingly devoid of too many people. It was still a bit early, her watch reading ten o'clock. The rush usually didn't happen until the afternoon, and by then it'd be lunch and nap time so they'd be heading out.

"Alright, this is just killing me."

Sighing and rolling her eyes they hung back a bit while the kids left fingerprints on the glass of the cases and stared up at the large bears before them

"Four years ago or so, when Michael and I had started dating," _'a lifetime ago,'_ she thought as she tried to gather together exactly what to say, "I was…killed."

"How…"

She cut him off, her eyes darting around and making sure that no one was around before continuing. "To Vaughn, my father…everyone – I was dead. A terrorist organization faked it, quite well, after kidnapping me. They tortured me for over six months…so I tricked them into thinking that their brainwashing had been successful and started working with them."

She paused, the incredulous look on Rick's face making her grin. "I told you I had an interesting life story." His hand movements begged her to continue as his brain tried to digest what she was saying.

"After nine months, I finally got sent out and called the CIA, and they told me what had happened. They told me I was dead. So my first thought was to see Vaughn, to tell him that I was alive but…he'd moved on."

'_Of course his wife turned into a psycho, but Rick doesn't need to know that.'_

"He'd moved on after nine _months_?"

"It wasn't easy, but to him I was dead. I couldn't toss his life upside down and just go back to the way things had been before, you know? Plus I noticed that the organization that had taken me was keeping tabs on him, and I couldn't risk his life like that. So…I stayed away. I became a double agent and tried my best to take them down."

"For how long?"

"Two years."

"Damn!"

"Two years went by, and I just…couldn't do it any longer. I found this doctor that had a radical new procedure that would hopefully be able to remove my memories from the whole thing. And if that didn't work it'd kill me, so either way it was an out. I woke up in Hong Kong with zero memory of the previous two years thinking it had been just one day since I'd seen Vaughn. You can imagine my surprise at finding him married and that it was two years later."

"So…you remember everything now?"

"No, but I've read the files. I'm glad I don't remember."

"So…you 'died'." Rick stuttered, his fingers doing air quotes.

"Yep." Setting her hand against his arm with a grin, laughing as he shook his head, he agreed to try and talk to Vaughn when they got back. Joining the boys as they read about mountain lions Sydney spotted a man standing a few feet away. He'd made his way in behind them, the dark trench coat and suit seeming out of place to her, though he appeared to just be reading and looking at the exhibits.

She pushed aside her paranoia, chalking it up to the fact that she'd just been chatting with Rick about her past. Her intuition however passed paranoia and went straight to fear as he continued to follow them through the halls.

"Hey guys, let's go and look at the moose and bats, what do you think?"

If memory served her right the area was partially under construction and not many people had an easy time finding the halls, though they were still open to the public. They agreed and turned right, Sydney grabbing Rick's shirt and pulling him close so she could whisper into his ear.

"You keep your eyes on them and stay back," she ordered, moving up to the corner with her back pressed flat against the wall, her ears tuning in to any sound. Peeking over she saw Rick gather the boys to his legs, poorly trying to keep them distracted.

The man in the suit rounded the corner, Sydney waiting until he passed her before grabbing him from behind and twisting his arm back. She kicked his leg out and forced him to his knees wrapping her free arm around his neck and tightening.

"Can I help you?"

"Sydney…please…don't kill…me," he gurgled as his eyes bulged in an attempt to draw a full breath. She pulled back slightly, recognition spreading across her face as she let the man go. He gulped air into his lungs and smiled up at her.

"James? Damnit! What the hell are you doing?"

"I take it…no one told you that you'd be tailed as a part of the protective services thing, huh?"

She pulled him up and straight into a hug, the tall man chuckling when he pulled away and rotated his arm. "You should know better, James, you've never been able to sneak up on me. Not to mention the trench coat and suit kind of stand out in a place like this."

"Momma? You okay?"

She spun around and saw the fear in her boy's eyes, confusion in Josh's and wonder in Rick's. "C'mon over, honey, everything's alright. I thought James was a bad guy, but he was sent here by Uncle Dixon to make sure that we don't get into trouble."

Danny walked over and stuck his little hand out, "I'm Danny!"

James' huge hand engulfed the child's as he introduced himself, extending his hand to Rick as well. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I did a pretty good job in the more crowded places, but there's not really much in here for me to 'blend in with', you know?"

"Dad, can we go see the new dinosaurs now?" Josh was bored and the animal hall just wasn't cutting it for him any longer.

The group agreed, James hanging near the back as Rick and Josh led the way. Danny kept his hand firmly in his mother's, the agent looking down with a grin. "Look at you – little Sydney Bristow all grown up with a family. I jumped on the case when they told me what was up."

"It's good to see you, James. It feels like it's been forever!"

"It has, really. I moved to Washington right after the Alliance fell, good job by the way, and I don't think I ever got a chance to tell you goodbye. Not to mention I was kind of pissed at finding out that you had been a double agent and that SD-6 was actually evil."

"Wow – I haven't thought about the Alliance in forever," she muttered, Danny looking up at her with big green eyes. Flashing him a wink and a smile they walked into the hall, another _Tyrannosaurus rex_ standing before them with this pose more accurate than the old Rockette Rex downstairs in the foyer. Rick promised he'd keep his eyes on the boys, Sydney lagging behind to share a quiet conversation with her old friend.

"You still dating that model?"

"Actress, actually, Bristow. And no, we're not dating any more – we got married four years ago."

"Good for you!"

"Thanks! I heard about the kids, congrats, Syd."

"Yeah, it's been pretty great. Out of the line of fire – or…at least we used to be. Do you guys have kids yet?"

"Nope, not yet, but she's about thirteen weeks along, so we've got a ways to go."

Sydney laughed, patting his shoulder as she kept Danny in her line of sight, "it goes by a lot faster than you'd think. Are you going to stay in the field?"

"Nope – this is my last assignment. I figure it'd be easy enough, though you do have a knack of getting yourself into more sh*t than anyone on the planet."

"Still got the mouth of a sailor, eh?"

"I'm not at home with the wife constantly saying 'the baby can hear you, knock it off', so I'm gonna get 'em in while I can."

They shared a laugh as they followed Rick and the kids, the boys returning to stand underneath the giant metal _Apatosaurus_ skeleton, the life-size model stretching over 90 feet and towering over their heads.

"I'm not doing a very good job here, Syd, why don't you just go back to pretending I'm not here and enjoy the day with your kid. Give a yell if you need help."

"Don't tell me your arm doesn't still hurt, James. Just because I'm a housewife now doesn't mean I can't kick your ass."

Finishing the exhibit, the boys getting a chance to make a mold of a dinosaur tooth, they decided to stop in the gift shop before leaving, two large dinosaur toys in hand.

"Who was that guy?" Rick whispered as they walked through the parking lot to the car. "I mean…you said he was a good guy, so I just followed your lead, but…it totally freaked me out, Syd."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you guys. It's just that…with these people resurfacing, Vaughn and I have agreed to protective services. This means that there will always be someone watching the house, tailing us in the car, or following a short distance behind us when we're out in public."

"Like the Secret Service?"

"Yeah, but _way _more secret. I just didn't realize that we were being tailed so soon, you know? We set this stuff up this morning and I thought it'd take them a day at least – which is why I freaked out."

Rick helped the kids in as Sydney jumped in the front to turn on the engine and crank the air conditioning.

"James is a good guy, right momma?"

"Yes, sweetie. Think of him like our own police officer, okay?"

"Okay." He conceded, though she knew that he'd be spending at least one more night with her and Vaughn due to the stunt she pulled.

'_I could have just asked him the time…I mean…I would have seen that it was James and wouldn't have needed to go all bad ass spy and freak my kid out.'_

"Would you guys like to stay over for dinner? I mean I royally screwed up at the museum and don't want this day to be a complete waste," she suggested, Rick sending her a comforting smile as Danny and Josh slept in the backseat.

"You didn't screw up, Sydney, you protected us. And yes…while it made me feel inadequate as a man, thank you. If that guy had been a bad dude it could have gone down a lot differently."

"I'm sorry to drag you and your kid into our lives…we really were hoping that we'd be free of all this junk by now."

Waving her off he admitted, "it's actually kind of exciting. Was this what your life was like every day before moving to Denver?"

"Pretty much."

"So when you meant CIA you meant James Bond?"

Sydney laughed, nodding in agreement. "It wasn't as glamorous and definitely not filled with damsels in distress, but yeah; a lot of suits, ties, wigs, dresses, and martial arts. And running…a _lot _of running."

They pulled into the driveway, Sydney pointing out the black van three houses down and across the street. "That van there is most likely where James is going to be, probably with a couple more agents. They'll take shifts, probably staying in a local safe house until all this just…goes away."

"Huh. You do know that every time I see one of those dumb things I'll assume that there's a stakeout going on, right?"

With a sleeping five-year old on each hip they went in through the garage door, Sydney locking it behind her. A quiet house greeted her and she spotted a slew of high tech equipment on the kitchen table. "C'mon up, we'll lay the boys down in our bed. Danny refuses to sleep in his own right now because of all this stuff."

Hitting the top of the stairs she heard voices, tensing briefly until she recognized Marshall's fast talking and stuttering. "Hello?"

Michael stuck his head out of the nursery, Marshall's peeking out behind his as the tech geek waved. "Hey, you're home early. How was the museum?"

"Interesting. I almost killed our protective detail."

"Seriously, Mike…it was like I was with Jackie Chan." Rick laughed, Vaughn nodding knowingly as they moved past the nursery and settled the boys into the master bedroom. Sliding their shoes off they tucked them in, parting kisses to both foreheads.

"Hey Syd, we're almost done here."

Gathering Marshall up in a hug she introduced him to Rick as she asked to be briefed on what had happened while they were away, Rick heading off to the kitchen.

"Well…basically I Marshall'ed up your house. All the doors have alarms on them so if the code isn't punched at one of these sites then, well, you'll wanna cover your ears because its _loud_. Like…way loud. You know – you won't sleep through it loud."

"Loud…I get it. What else?"

"Well I've put bugs in just about everything to make sure that, well…your house can't be bugged. The only people listening will be the agents out front."

Michael spoke up, using the techie's moment to breathe to interrupt. "Marshall also gave us this hand held device that will block out the bugs for up to four feet in all directions so we can have conversations without anyone listening."

"I was just about to ask that." _'If the CIA listening doesn't put a damper on your sex life then I don't know what would. Aside from the five-year old sleeping in the bed between us of course.'_

"Other than that it'll all be monitored by the van out front. We've got cameras hidden all around the exterior of the home. Oh…and they work with infrared as well. And night vision – I threw that one in for you. No one is getting into your yard without _these_ babies pickin' 'em up."

"Marshall…thank you."

Finishing up by putting a camera outside of the twins nursery, Sydney suddenly wanting to move not only Danny but the twins into their bedroom, they walked Marshall downstairs. He gathered his things up and said his goodbyes before giving a parting hug to both Sydney and Vaughn, tears in his eyes.

"You know…APO isn't the same without you guys around."

"We miss you too, Marshall."

Rick sat dutifully at the kitchen table waiting for the couple to say goodbye to their high tech friend. One of the babies upstairs squealed over the baby monitor, Sydney offering to take care of it while pushing Michael toward the kitchen and sending their friend a look that said 'here's your chance'.

"Hey Rick, can I get you something to drink?"

"Ummm…yeah sure. I'll just have some water." He paused, trying to collect his thoughts when Vaughn spoke from his vantage in the kitchen.

"You look like you have a serious conversation in mind, is this why Syd bolted?"

"Sort of. I talked with her about…this problem I'm having, and she suggested that I talk to you about it."

Michael laughed, passing over his glass and flopping down into a seat across from the troubled ex-neighbor. "Well, if it's something that Sydney couldn't help you with then I'm probably not going to do so well either," he warned.

"I don't know if Syd told you much about my life. I mean, we don't know each other like best pals or anything," he waited, seeing Vaughn nod but only slightly.

"All I know is that you lost your wife when Josh was a baby, and for that I'm sorry."

"Yeah. Here's the thing, I'll stop beatin' around the bush. I've…started seeing someone. It's not too serious right now, but she's looking for it to be serious."

"And you aren't?"

Sighing and shrugging Rick leaned back in his chair, his hands fiddling around with the glass in front of him. "I feel like I'm betraying my wife, Mike. I asked Sydney for advice, and that's when she said you had more…expertise as it were, with this situation. Then she explained how she died, which threw my ass for a loop. Do…do you think you can give me some advice?"

It was Vaughn's turn to trip down memory lane as he slouched in his seat and sighed. "Well…she's right, I'm better than this than here, I suppose. I don't need to tell you, but it ripped my heart out. I was…days away from proposing to her and then she was gone. You know what that's like…having your heart smashed and your emotions just raw for years."

"Yeah…I'm with you there."

Slowly, Michael continued. "I would talk to her – have whole conversations with her in my mind for weeks after her funeral. I suppose it was just my subconscious trying to deal with everything, but there was something that kept coming up after about six months – my subconscious started answering me back in her voice. It would remind me of how she _was_. She wasn't a body-bag in what was left of a smoldering apartment…she'd been alive and for a brief moment she was mine. She wouldn't want me to drink myself under the table each night or…or to live my life alone and depressed, she'd want me to be happy."

"So…you moved on because your subconscious version of Sydney told you to?"

Michael laughed, emotions he'd pushed away a long time ago resurfacing. "No…I moved on because I convinced myself that it's what Sydney would have wanted me to do. And deep down I'm sure that your wife would have wanted the same exact thing for you. Now…luckily for me, I got her back but…that's because our lives weren't entirely normal."

Rick agreed wholeheartedly to that, taking a swig of his water as they heard footsteps on the stairs. "Thanks, Mike. I think that's exactly the advice I needed."

"Happy to help."

***

Later that night after tucking Danny into their bed, after trying desperately to convince him to sleep in his own room, Sydney watched her husband from the kitchen table. He checked all the doors and windows, making sure the blinds were closed, curtains were drawn, and locks were engaged before joining her at the table. Their hands were instantly together and fingers entwined as tears filled her eyes.

"The more I think about today the more freaked out I get, Vaughn."

"It was CIA, baby."

"I know but…what if it wasn't?"

"You still noticed him – even if it hadn't been James, you still noticed him."

She shook her head as the beeping of the washing machine pulled her attention away. "I'll be right back," she mumbled, rising and making her way down to the basement.

Michael waited impatiently, finally deciding to follow her. His conversation with Rick had brought up many thoughts that he didn't want to entertain, and though he didn't regret helping his friend out as best as he could, he didn't enjoy drudging up the horrible memories rather than the wonderful ones. Her "death" by the Covenant lead to Cuba and her being buried alive which lead to their house being bombed by Anderson; all thoughts that he wanted – no, _**needed**_** – **to rid his mind of.

Following her down the steps he walked through the doorway and into the small laundry room, the only thing really visible being her backside as she tossed the wet clothes into the dryer. Standing with a sigh she flipped the dryer on and jumped when she felt his arms wrap around her waist and pull her body close to his. Tracing her fingers down his forearms until they laced through his own she sighed, closing her eyes and leaning her head back to rest against his shoulder.

Fastening his lips to her throat he placed a wet kiss against her pulse point, Sydney gasping and tightening her hold on his hands while subconsciously pushing her body closer to his. He turned her quickly and hauled her up against him, his mouth claiming hers almost desperately.

"Michael," she mumbled, her words muffled against his mouth and not fully able to speak her concerns. He seemed to understand though as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out Marshall's little bug-killing device. Setting it on the washer beside them he lifted her up and set her on the running dryer, her legs instantly opening and wrapping around his hips as his tongue slid into her mouth to duel with her own.

Kicking the door behind him closed, breaking away for a moment to lock it, he sunk back into her embrace as her arms wrapped around his shoulders and fingers massaged at the tense muscles while one hand dove into the hair at the back of his neck.

Breaking apart for oxygen he burrowed his face in her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her, pausing merely to hold her against him.

"Where 's this coming from? Not that I'm complaining," she smiled and planted kisses along his shoulder through his t-shirt.

"Talking with Rick…drudging all that crap up…I just needed to remind myself that you're here with me."

She nodded and continued rubbing his back in gentle yet firm circles, sighing as she felt his lips against her neck. His tongue poked out and tasted the spot where she splashed her perfume on.

"God I miss using our bed," he grumbled taking her earlobe between his lips and sucking on it gently. Feeling her fingers as they slid off his shoulders and down his arms, she traced back to his stomach and lifted the hem of his shirt.

"You have to admit though, we've gotten pretty inventive about finding places for sex," she giggled breathlessly against his ear, Michael agreeing and pulling back to smother her again with a fiery kiss. Slipping her fingers up she traced the line of his stomach, the muscles twitching in response to her feathery touches.

Vaughn's groan was warm against her lips and she pushed him back in order to lift the shirt up. Getting the hint he pulled his upper body away, his lower locked by her surrounding legs, and yanked the shirt off not caring much where it landed. Doing the same with Sydney's she sat before him in her bra and jeans, his hardness pushing insistently against the zipper of his pants at the sight of her before him.

"I never get tired of staring at you, baby," he groaned, his hands cupping the flesh through the lace of the bra as she arched her back to force more of herself into his palms.

Reaching back she unclasped the flimsy material and let him toss it with his shirt, chuckling at the pile of clothes they were creating. "It's a good thing we're in the laundry room," she giggled, her laugh cut short as he leaned forward and sucked a budding nipple into his mouth, the heat enveloping her as one hand grabbed the back of his head while the other wrapped around behind his stomach to pull his lower body into contact with her own.

Even through two pairs of jeans she could feel how hard he was, his groan against her breast putting an evil smile on her lips. Rubbing her hips up and down over the bulge he mumbled something with a mouth full of skin. "What was that, honey?" Dragging a line from his chest to stomach and lower with a finger she traced the outline of his straining cock, the material directly in front of the head a little moist.

"Jesus, Syd," he groaned and pushed his hips in to hopefully create more pressure but she would merely pull her hand back up to his stomach before returning and caressing him with the lightest of touches. Sydney's fingers undoing the button and the zipper got his attention however, her hand diving in and cupping him through the fabric of his boxers. Throbbing in her hand she flicked her thumb across the wet tip and grinned as he let her nipple free from his mouth with a moan, moving up to claim her pouted lips in a gentle kiss.

Sliding her forward suddenly she pulled her hand free from his pants as his fingers dug into her hips before moving north to undo her jeans. Pulling them down he stepped out of the circle of her legs, Sydney finishing and kicking them off lounging on the vibrating warm metal of the dryer in only her underwear. Vaughn peeled his jeans back until the dropped, pulling his legs out and reclaiming his spot between her thighs. The soft cotton of his boxers felt good against her legs, the softness a drastic contrast to the hardness that pressed the material out against the fabric of her panties.

Sitting up she maneuvered as close to the edge as possible knowing that more than likely he wouldn't let her tumble to the floor. While she found the opening of his boxers and released his cock she felt his fingers push the underwear out of the way from her moist opening. Guiding him with a gentle hand she positioned the bulbous head against her nether lips and gasped when he slid in slowly but completely, pausing when their stomachs were pressed together and he couldn't go any deeper.

Keeping one hand at her hip the other moved up and wrapped around her upper back underneath her arms keeping every inch of his body in contact with hers. Their cheeks were together, her hands finding their place over his shoulder blades, and Sydney pulled back to look into his worried green eyes and wrinkled forehead.

Using her thumb she tried to press the worry lines away while flashing him a brilliant dimpled smile. "Everything's gonna be fine, Michael."

The tension began to leave his body as other feelings took over. Leaning in he pressed his lips against her for a sweet kiss, their lips barely parted as he pulled his hips back and left her body. Realigning he slid back in slowly until he filled her completely, her breathy encouragements against his mouth making him smile, enjoying that he drove her crazy so easily.

Keeping their bodies as close as possible he moved only his hips, Sydney's hands reclaiming their spots behind his shoulders as his own wrapped around her upper and lower back. He continued his slow thrusts, pulling out until only the head was left before sliding back in. Feeling her inner muscles contract neither one of them was entirely prepared for the orgasm that wracked her body. Pushing in completely, her moans muted against his hot skin, he stilled and pulled his head back to study her closed eyes and warm cheeks, the pouted lips forming an 'O' as she took several deep breaths.

"What was that?" he whispered brushing soft kisses to her forehead.

"I dunno…but I surprised the hell outta me," she admitted with a laugh, Michael joining in as she shook off the aftershocks and met his dancing green eyes with her brown stare, the center a light shade of purple. Moving the arm from her upper back he cupped her cheek and leaned in for a kiss, his tongue tracing her lips before slipping in.

Pulling his hips back and thrusting back in a sweet moan filled his ears, a shot of lust shooting straight to his cock. Releasing her lips he stood tall while pressing a hand to her chest and all but forcing her to lean back away from him, both hands moving to grasp her hips as he pulled out once more.

Sydney propped herself up on her hands as her eyes left his and look down to watch as he positioned himself back at her opening and sunk in with one quick thrust. Entranced she watched as he made love to her, her eyes closing only when the sensations overwhelmed her. Michael followed her gaze and smiled, slowing his thrusts down a bit in order to see himself pull out and reenter a few times.

"That is just…the sexiest thing I've ever seen," he ground out, reaching down with a finger and flicking the swollen nub a few times. The squeezing reaction of her inner walls made him groan and lean forward to suction his lips to her neck, his thrusts staying long but going quicker as he sped his hips up. The fabric of her wet pushed aside panties rubbed against his cock with each thrust and he kind of missed the sensation of his sac slapping against her backside rather than the front of his boxers.

Dragging his mouth up to her lips his tongue swooped around hers as she sat back up and wrapped her arms around his ribcage. Her movement limited his thrusts so he settled for short and sweet, pulling out halfway before slamming back in.

"Michael…I'm…"

"I know, me too," he growled against her lips, the fluttering contractions of her core milking the first burst from him. Her face burrowed into his throat as he clutched her hips with strong hands. Thrusting slowly until he came down from his high his body began to soften and she pulled away from his sweaty shoulder as the dryer below them beeped and stopped its movement.

"Hey…look honey. The – the clothes are done," he panted against her forehead, Sydney laughing and pressing a kiss to his lips.

***

***

A/N: I realized that I've only had Syd and Vaughn get it on _once_ in this whole story. Unacceptable!! So there you go!

-Jeanie


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